Naruto Uzumaki and the Scroll of Sealing
by kvsyaoran
Summary: Book 1: Naruto Uzumaki's life has been nothing but miserable since the day he was born. But all of his pain is about to change for the better when a mysterious entity named Harry begins teaching him in the magical arts and helps him find his true calling.
1. Prologue

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/ Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's Thoughts/other people's thoughts

'_**Blah**_': Harry talking to Naruto

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><p><strong>Naruto Uzumaki has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never fought to keep a highly important jutsu scroll from falling into the hands of evil, and has never known what it was like to feel like he truly belonged somewhere or by someone apart from his grandfather, who he hardly gets to see.<strong>

**All he knows is a miserable life, living in a village where nobody apart from a small handful of people want anything to do with him. Naruto's house is a small and uncomfortable apartment run by an angry middle-aged landlord who abuses him and overcharges for his rent out of blind contempt.**

**But all of that is about to change when a mysterious young man by the name of Harry Potter from another world arrives with the promise to keep him happy, safe, and to teach him everything he knows about the ancient and noble art of magic and sorcery.**

**It is within the mind of the beholder that Naruto finds not only friends, family, love, aerial sports, and magic from his classes and to his dreams, but a great and extraordinary destiny that's been waiting for him … that is if Naruto can survive the first encounter.**

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto,**

**Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling,**

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><p>Chapter 1: Prologue<p>

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><p>High up above the mayhem and carnage that ensued for the past six hours, on the Astronomy Tower where Albus Dumbledore was killed under a year ago, Harry Potter and Tom Marvolo Riddle were engaged in mortal combat.<p>

Voldemort flicked the Elder Wand at Harry, conjuring a series of black serpents to erupt from the tip and wrap themselves around the young man's body, before they constricted and turned into black cloth. Harry cursed, the hawthorn wand still clenched tightly in his fist, he let it happen while Voldemort's ropes pulled him right under his nose-less face. The two wizards stared at each other right in the eye. Voldemort scoffed at this boy, denying the fact that he had successfully discovered his secret and destroyed each and every one of his Horcruxes with the help of friends and loved ones. All of it still useless, the Elder Wand was in his hands now and he would slay him right here and now at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…. Or at least what remained of it.

Voldemort grasped Harry's face with his left hand, took the time to observe the scar he had left on his forehead and then asked him in a cold voice, "Why do you live?"

"Because I have something worth living for…" the young man grunted back angrily.

Suddenly, the ropes turned into black smoke and Harry broke free. He blasted Voldemort out of the inside of the tower and sprinted after him with all his might. Voldemort recovered at edge of the tower against the railing and let out a terrible shout of frustration. Harry suddenly saw a large blue jet from another curse zoom out from the tip of the Elder Wand. He took the hawthorn wand and slashed the air, hitting the blue curse and sending it off to the side to blast into even more castle stone. Harry ran at Voldemort once again only to be struck by an unexpected blow. Harry hit his back against the stone ledge painfully, only to be grasped by the collar of his dirty, light-blue shirt by the Dark Lord's spider-like fingers.

Harry felt Voldemort Disapparate them both away from the tower and when both of them reached solid ground again, he looked around to see them both returned to the Viaduct Courtyard outside the Great Hall. There were people all around the courtyard, staring at them both and not making a sound to disturb either of them. Harry focused on the fight and looked at Voldemort in time to be blasted by another curse by him. Voldemort hadn't hit him with the Killing Curse again, he wanted to toy with him before he struck the final blow. Harry hit his back against the remains of a stone balustrade at the edge of the courtyard. He looked back and saw below him the large chasm that lead into the lake. Harry took a deep and much-needed breath before he stood back up and saw Voldemort standing over him again. Harry tried to hide his hidden desire, intent on surprising the Dark Lord with what he had in store for him. While at the same time tried to hide the fear of a possible death alongside this killer with what he planned. Harry actually half-smiled at the man that had murdered his parents and friends, taking the Dark Lord by surprise.

Harry said, "C'mon, Tom. Let's finish this the way we started it… TOGETHER!"

The young man then wrapped his arm around Voldemort's neck and grabbed his robes before he tossed them both off the edge, intent on killing them both. As the audience watched this horrific sight, Ginny ran out of the crowd only to be stopped by her father and Bill.

"NO!" she screamed as she watched Harry fall.

Voldemort yelled as the two of them plummeted down towards the unforgiving, rocky earth beneath them. The Dark Lord was actually scared; his existence was, for the first time since he was in school, in mortal peril. In an act of desperation, he focused as much magic as he could and Disapparated them both back to the courtyard. When they returned to the courtyard, everybody backed off as much as possible and watched intently again. Ginny, having been crying at possibility of losing her love, stopped and a look of hope rose in her angelus face.

Voldemort and Harry broke apart from each other, giving the other more than enough room to start dueling again. They both blasted twin curses at each other and were once again locked by a golden beam of pure light. As Voldemort tried his best to push his curse forward, Harry's continued to advance and begun to overcome the Dark Lord. As if they were thinking the same thing, they both broke away their spells and took a second to breath.

Voldemort snarled at Harry, still seeing him standing tall and very much alive, "How could Dumbledore's last plan have possibly backfired on me, Potter?"

Voldemort's hand was trembling on the Elder Wand, and Harry gripped Draco's wand very tightly. The moment, he knew, was seconds away.

"That wand still isn't working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."

"He killed-"

"Aren't you listening? _Snape never beat Dumbledore!_ Dumbledore's death was planned between them! Dumbledore intended to die undefeated, the wand's last true master! If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him!"

"But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand!" Voldemort's voice shook with malicious pleasure, "I stole the wand from its last master's tomb! I removed it against its master's wishes! Its power is mine!"

"You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? _The wand chooses the wizard_… The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance…"

Voldemort's chest rose and fell rapidly, and Harry could feel the curse coming, feel it building inside the wand pointed at his face.

"The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."

Blank shock showed in Voldemort's face for a moment, but then it was gone.

"But what does it matter?" he said softly, "Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand: We duel on skill alone… after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy…"

"But you're too late," said Harry, "You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him."

Harry twitched the hawthorn wand, and he felt the eyes of everyone in the courtyard upon it.

"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" whispered Harry, "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does… I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

A red-gold glow burst suddenly across the sky above them as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the wall of the crumbling eastern edge of the courtyard. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was suddenly a flaming blur. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best to hope to the heavens, pointing Draco's wand:

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

"_Expelliarmus!_"

The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between them, at the dead center of the circle they had been trading, marked the point where the spells collided. Harry saw Voldemort's green jet meet his own spell, where they were locked as they were back at Little Hangleton and in the skies above Little Whinging. They pushed their spells back at one another; both wizards fell to their knees putting in more and more power into their spells. Voldemort let out one last yell, whether it was out of victory or anguish, Harry would never know. When he saw the Elder Wand fly out of Tom Riddle's hand and high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the sky like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air toward the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last. And Harry, with the unerring skill of the Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell back up on his feet, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upward. Suddenly, Voldemort had been transformed. Upon being hit with his own Killing Curse, he met the same fate as his old host, Quirinus Quirrell, when he burst into flames for a split second before turning into ash and crumbled apart.

Voldemort was dead.

Killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hand, staring down at his enemy's remains.

One shivering second of silence later, the shock of the moment suspended: and then the tumult broke around Harry as screams and cheers and the roars of the watchers rent the air. The fierce new sun dazzled against the windows and remaining stone walls of the castle as they all thundered toward him, and the first to reach him were Ron and Hermione, and it was their arms that were wrapped around him, their incomprehensible shouts that deafened him. Then Ginny, Neville, and Luna were there, and then all the Weasleys with Hagrid, Kingsley, and McGonagall and Flitwick and Sprout, and Harry could not hear a word that anyone was shouting, nor tell whose hands were seizing him in his brown coat, pulling him, trying to hug some part of him, hundreds of them pressing in, all of them determined to touch the Boy Who Lived, the reason it was over at last-

But then something happened inside of Harry's body. His heart muscles, from all the running, sprinting, Apparation, curse and spell casting, were torn to shreds, causing him to fall into induced arrhythmia. Harry's heart beat irregularly and eventually stopped. The young man halted in his steps, doubled over in agonizing pain, and then coughed up an entire puddle of blood. Harry fell to the ground and everyone except for his closest friends backed away to give him room. The deafening shouts of victory all of a sudden stopped at hearing the sounds coming from Harry and gasped silently at seeing him cough and collapse onto the stairs of the destroyed Entrance Hall.

Ginny grabbed Harry carefully and held him gently in her arms, "Harry? What is it? What's wrong?"

Harry felt it and at once, he knew that he had lost. He swore to himself mentally and smiled despite himself and closed his eyes to add to the smile at Ginny.

"Its okay, Ginny… I'm just tired. I'll be fine."

Hermione fell to the ground and placed her ear against Harry's slow-moving chest and heard the sound of his heartbeat beat irregularly and heard a swish of liquid and a pop. Hermione quickly removed her head from her best friend and held her hand over her mouth and started to sob. Ron held her back up closely before whispering to her.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked.

Ginny and the others listened in as Hermione said chokingly, "Arrhythmia… I can't stop it…"

Tears formed in Ginny's eyes and she immediately went to work with her wand and tried to heal him with whatever medicinal spells she had read about for her N.E.W.T's. She figured it would be safe to know how to heal someone with a war coming and all. Harry coughed again and another gush of his blood came out his mouth. Desperate, she placed her black-colored wand on Harry's chest and conjured a greenish light at the tip of her wand nonverbally. Harry's chest almost became transparent while Ginny tried her best to repair the done damage. Ron shook his head in disbelief and looked to Hermione.

He begged desperately, "Hermione, y-your bag! D-don't you have anything that can help? Anything at all?"

Hermione collapsed into tears and shook her head, her beaded bag was probably destroyed somewhere in the ruins of the castle. Tears began to pour out from Ron's eyes and he looked to the professors for help.

"He won, didn't he? Why is this happening?" he shouted.

Ginny tried using the same spell again, trying to prevent Harry from going anywhere. She hardened herself and tried again, fully focused on reversing the damage and stop the bleeding. While this was happening, Harry found staying awake to become more and more difficult with each passing second. He had never felt so tired before in his entire life and he wanted nothing more than to just go to bed in his dormitory. He could hear Ginny become even more desperate and heard her telling him to stay awake for as long as possible. But it was getting increasingly difficult to do, while a small part of him wanted to give in to the approaching darkness. To just surrender and welcome Death as an old friend like in the Tales of Beedle the Bard. But then another part of him began to panic.

Had he not done his duty and fulfilled the stupid prophecy he had recited not five minutes ago? Was he destined to never know what it was like to live like a normal person?

No. He had to fight; he had to stay for Ginny and for his friends as well.

He couldn't give in no matter what. He reopened his eyes with what little strength he had left in his weak body and gazed up into Ginny's face. He looked up and still couldn't believe how beautiful she truly was, even with blood and dirt on her cheeks and in her hair. Harry could see her yelling and crying noiselessly while he could catch a glimpse of his best friend crying and pleading while he held onto Hermione. He caught a glimpse of Hagrid while he too cried giant tears of anguish along with the other professors and the Weasleys. Neville was holding close to Luna with the Sword of Gryffindor still clenched in his fist and the two of them cried while they saw their good friend slowly fade away.

Harry looked back into Ginny's face where his vision began to turn black all around him. He took whatever strength he had left in his arm and used it to reach out before he realized he could but then Ginny dropped her wand and grabbed his hand to hold the one that brushed against her face.

Harry smiled, "You… You're so beautiful, Ginerva Weasley…"

Ginny smiled sadly, embracing her less-than-likable full name with open arms and begged once again, "Hang on… Please, hang on, Harry…"

The girl clutched her lover's hand in her own desperately, half-smiling when she felt him squeeze back weakly. Despite his best wishes, Harry could feel the cold hand of death steadily grab at his soul and felt it as the strength became drained from his body. He smiled back up at Ginny again even when he felt her tear droplets fall down on his face.

Ron and Hermione dropped down across from Ginny and cried while they could see the life leaving Harry. Ron placed a warm hand down on Harry's shoulder and begged him one last time. Harry was the first real friend Ron had ever had in his life and he couldn't bear the thought of ever losing his best friend.

"No! Just relax, mate. We'll get you outta here and fix you right up, you'll see-Where the bloody hell is Madam Pomfrey!"

Several people called back for the school Healer to come at once, but it all proved to be useless.

Harry looked to Ron and also shared the exact same feeling as he was feeling. He reached out and called out to him with some of his last seconds remaining. Secretly, Harry slipped him the Elder Wand and had him tuck it away from sight without anyone noticing.

"Ron… I want you to take… to take care of everyone… Can you do that for me…?"

The redheaded man nodded with tears still pouring out his blue eyes and he sobbed before he looked back up to see Harry stretching out for his hand. Ron saw the cue and grabbed the hand of his best friend for all time.

He smiled at Ron and said, "… Love you… brother…"

With that Ron collapsed into a fit of tears and yelled quietly in anguish while Hermione held him. Harry then looked at everyone, Ginny more out of the crowd, being so close to him, and said with his final dying breath, "… I love you…"

Ginny bent down and sealed both hers and his lips together for one last bittersweet time, "I love you, too…"

Harry tried to respond back, but he no longer had any control over his body. His senses went numb, his body lost all feeling of cold and warm, his vision had gone completely, and with one final sigh his eyes slid shut as the world went dark and cold.

Sirius was right; death was like falling asleep only much easier.

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><p>The darkness went beyond from just clouding Harry's vision, it felt as if it went inside of him and threatened to overflow inside him. The dark oblivion consumed his very being. Untold darkness began to smother and crush him without pause. He felt as if he were now being crushed underneath the weight of the entire universe. With what he had left before he was totally gone, Harry tried to throw a part of himself back to the world he was leaving. He wanted to defy the laws of nature and return to the real world in the hopes that he would be able to live once more.<p>

But then the weight of the darkness increased and he was pulled backward and it almost felt like he was thrown back across a field but he did not hit solid ground. He wasn't sure if he had heard a voice whisper to him, but if there were, he would imagine that it would say that he had made a mistake.

Before Harry could react or make one last attempt to return to the real world with his friends, he continued to soar backward as the weight became too unbearable to endure. A few seconds later all had been stopped and he was crushed. At that moment, he was no longer Harry Potter. In the space of one fraction of a second, all of Harry's memories had vanished. His memories of Private Drive, Voldemort, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Hogwarts were all gone from his mind like a blank book. All of his experiences of pain, suffering, anguish, love, joy, and even happiness were no longer there, exempting him of what made him human. Harry was no longer himself, as everything he knew and learned from his time living was whisked from him.

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><p>The being that was once called Harry Potter felt itself become tossed into deeper darkness until it was simply nowhere. The being's clothes had vanished upon its consumption into the realm of nothing and felt naked, even though he could not recall a previous experience. The being opened it's eyes and discovered that it was not in a place that was either pleasurable or agonizing, ruling out the possibility that it was in Heaven or Hell. The being, having a slight trace of it's former self left in him, rolled it's eyes. But it didn't matter either way, seeing as it couldn't truly feel anything anymore.<p>

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><p>After a stretch of unknown periods of time, the being actually developed a genuine emotion and after some time thinking it over, it assumed that it felt bored to be dead. The being later decided that it wanted to change things and all at once, the darkness around it turned into a new realm, a realm of nothing but the color of white.<p>

After another long period of time (the being now understanding the perception of time again) became bored for not being able to know anything apart from boredom and knowing what time was and what it felt like. The being in the realm of white-nothing wanted to learn. And just like that, books and scrolls filled to the brim about human understanding, memory, and just about everything one can possibly learn about being human came to it. The information spiraled around him as fast as a powerful typhoon and whizzed past him too fast to process, but because of his desire to learn, Harry took in and learned every single letter and word that he could possibly pick up. What's more, Harry even began to learn how to read and speak in a variety of languages as easily as he could read from the Standard Book of Spells, Grade One as the adult he was now restoring himself to be again.

After he took in so much information for countless years, bit by bit, Harry's human memories from when he was alive returned to him perfectly and he could even remember the finest details of his life as if he had watched them from multiple perspectives. After he was finished with learning all he could about basic information Harry decided that he wanted to learn everything he could possibly know about magic. And with just one thought, Harry summoned a new assembly line of books and scrolls containing all of the information that could have been inside of Professor Dumbledore's brilliant mind. He learned everything there was to know about magic while his human memories and emotions helped him to remember what kind of magic he preferred to learn as well as an endless source of information about magic that he never thought could be possible or magic he knew he would never use, but it couldn't hurt to know how to do it.

The information did not stop encircling him until it felt as if he had been watching these books and scrolls for over a hundred thousand years. In time, the pages started to slow down and then finally stop and vanish.

Harry looked down at himself and realized that he was naked again and closed his eyes and said while he crossed his arms, "Okay… I've died twice and both times I ended up naked. Unless four angels come down and have their way with me in the next few minutes, or I'm going to be pissed…"

Then out of nowhere, Harry felt an invisible force drive him forward in the same manner he felt millennia ago. He didn't know what was about to happen but he had an idea that his time here was up. Before he could react or stop the force that controlled him he felt his entire being become drawn out from the realm of nothingness. He felt as if he were thrust out from a white bubble, upon his departure, Harry felt his entire being become consumed with pressure, like he was collapsed underneath the universe once more. He felt as if he had been forced into a small space that felt like a ball no bigger than the size of a bludger. There was a sudden flash of light and at once he was returned to the real world, but it did not feel like it was the same world that he had departed from.

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><p>Out on the battlefield, the Kyuubi no Kitsune continued to rampage its way through the mountains and forests to destroy the village of Konohagakure no Sato. It's nine giant red tails swished through the air and crashed senselessly into the mountains and landscapes, causing earthquakes to shake the earth and tsunamis to rise from the lakes and oceans out in the distance. The shinobi of the ancient village nobly defended their home, willing to die in the hopes of preventing the giant fox from getting close to the village.<p>

Second after second, the jounin and chunin at the frontlines were annihilated when the fox used its massive claws to consume and destroy the home of the world's most powerful shinobi. The giant red beast, with eyes as red as the fires of Hell, unleashed a terrible blast of pure chakra from its mouth in the form of a destructive cannon blast. The blast caused a sonic boom before it was fired with untold speed and caused devastating damage unto the front half of the village, taking down blocks of buildings and houses and leaving nothing but fire, smoke, and rubble behind. But no matter how bad the terror reigned down upon them, the shinobi of Konoha stood tall and advanced forth to stop their unstoppable and unbelievably gigantic demonic enemy.

All seemed hopeless in this epic battle until the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, arrived atop of his trusted giant toad summon. The great amphibian was almost as large as the fox demon, but being a mortal animal of this earth it stood little to no chances of actually killing the demonic beast.

The Yondaime Hokage held a small child and kept it close to his chest while he tore through the battlefield to engage the demon atop his summon. As he drew closer to it, he felt as if his heart were being torn to shreds. As the Hokage of his village, it was his job and his dream to do anything within his power to keep his village and his people safe. But to do something like this, to burden a child with the responsibility to contain the Kyuubi's spirit was asking for far too much when it meant that he would destroy this newborn baby boy's life before he even had a chance to protest.

As his giant toad summon brought him closer to the demon, the young Hokage could only pray that one day this small bundle he held close to him would be able to forgive him for what he was about to do. He smiled own at the baby boy when the child gurgled and tugged at his white and red-flame designed coat. Minato couldn't believe that he had just taken this boy away from his mother, the best friend he had ever known in his life. He soon smiled and tried to remain confident that the boy's mother would still be able to be there to love, care, and protect him. He hoped with all his heart that the rest of the villagers would be able to understand his final testament and see this child as a hero for holding the Kyuubi within his small body and protect the village in doing so. But deep down he believed that maybe it might not happen for many years until after he was dead.

Minato still held the baby close to his face and kissed the tiny boy on the soft forehead before whispering with tears flowing out of his eyes, "… Forgive me… Naruto… Listen to your motor-mouth mother…"

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><p>Harry's essence emerged into existence and entered the new world. If anyone who had the ability to see spirits or magic were to look up into the full moon sky of the re-leveled battlefield, those people would have seen a ball of light erupt out from the sky as if the sky were a part of some invisible ceiling. There was a rift created through time and space where the spirit or soul escaped or rather was returned to the real world. The opened rift in time-space soon repaired itself just as fast as it appeared and looked as if the sky remained clean and untouched apart from the several clouds and full moon that decorated the night sky beautifully.<p>

Against it's will, the ball of light that was Harry Potter's spirit flew through the skies and gravitated towards the source that was drawing his soul, looking like a falling star. Harry's spirit moved toward the giant toad that had now grabbed a solid hold over the demon fox. He zoomed towards a source of blinding white light coming from in-between the two giant creatures but apart from the man that had created the light.

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><p>An unbearable roar broke out from the fox demon while the light coming from the Yondaime Hokage's jutsu grew brighter and brighter with each second that passed. Within a few moments, Harry had reached the point where the blinding light was coming from and saw the giant red fox begin to become sucked into the fresh-cut navel of a small newborn human. The fox's entire body, starting with its soul, was sucked into the baby's navel and in the act; a spiral swirl on his tummy that looked like a tattoo had been formed. Then without hesitation, Harry felt his spirit or soul become sucked into the navel along with the demon.<p>

The beast itself roared in rage and tried to fight the pull but it was no use as the last piece of its soul was absorbed into the newly imprinted seal and thrust into a giant cage. The fox itself soon started to deteriorate and turn into dust while it seemed to die and the blonde Hokage smirked while a line of his own blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth and he fell. At the same time, the soul of the demon felt its consciousness fade while inside its new prison, but not before it felt something that threw it off. The Kyuubi no Kitsune was sure that it had sensed the presence of another creature or another humanoid soul become sucked into the seal at the same time it was.

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><p>Emerald-green eyes snapped open for a second as their owner felt something strange but after being sucked into a small space upon being released from what he assumed the last hundred thousand years had been purgatory, he lacked the strength to stay awake. So he slowly drifted off to sleep to make up for his lack of sleep for the uncountable amount of time he had been lost. Harry then lost consciousness and fell asleep there upon a floor without walls, but with unlimited darkness. Had he been aware of what had happened to him, he would have hexed the dead Hokage for what he had done. But for now, he was too tired to even care about that and probably never would care about it again for another few years.<p>

He just wanted to sleep.

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><p>{{<em>The Arrival of Baby Harry by John Williams<em>}}

Several people stared down at the crying newborn child, unaware of what was happening within his tiny body.

There was a new form of power, different to that which they were used to, being slowly integrated into the infant's small body. The seal on his tummy strengthened it in some ways once the child had developed more in later life. Had a member of the Hyuga clan been there, they would have fainted from the shock of seeing a second set of a chakra circulatory system begin to develop as well. But not even a member of that esteemed clan would have managed to see the vague outline of a faint but powerful third system that would not develop for another few years to come.

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><p>(Fake dramatic logo scene)<p>

TV-TOKYO & WARNER BROS. PICTURES Presents.

**Naruto Uzumaki and the Scroll of Sealing**

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><p>To Be Continued<p>

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><p><strong>I would like to remind new readers to NOT read ahead to the other books if those fanfics (Books 3 through 5) are not finished yet or had not been updated in a long time.<strong>

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><p><strong>But anyway, back to the original message:<strong>

**Here we go! With the first chapter of the Naruto Ignotus Uzumaki series! Now if you guys want, check out kirallie's version of this story on his account and also check out some of his other stories, they're brilliant!**

**Leave behind a Review, please! Keep it nice!**


	2. The Boy's Who Lived

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's thoughts/other people's thoughts

'_**Blah**_': Harry talking to Naruto

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><p><strong>Here we go again with another chapter of the first book of the series! And this fanfic, we actually have a special guest on request from Azeroth44! Please welcome… some random dude wearing a hoodie.<strong>

**Unknown Guest: Hello…**

**AZ44: Hey man, glad you could make it.**

**Naruto: Let me see if I can predict the ending to this, ok? Uh, we're going to get snowed in randomly, one of us is going to write a novel, and then Azeroth and his friend are going to murder us all with a hacksaw!**

**Kvsyaoran: It's been almost a year since it's initial release date, and only NOW did you finally watch Hot Tub Time Machine and reference a line from it?**

**Naruto: I watched it on your computer. And by the way, I checked out that computer technique you showed me and it's really working out well! What's it called? Pirate no Juts-**

**K: Don't say it out loud! You wanna get us in trouble?!**

**N: Hahahaha! No, I'm just kidding around and trying to delay the time it will take for this new creepy guy to explode into the real person and or demonic being that Azeroth44 brought in.**

**K: Too late.**

**Unknown Guest: (Unveils his hood to reveal a purple and black skinned dragon head with a large rhino horn on it's forehead, and releases fire from it's mouth) My name is Onyxia! One of Deathwing's two children that will bring about a greater wrath than what our father brought down upon the World of Warcraft and Naruto Uzumaki and the Chunin Exams intro and endings... FEAR ME AND MY BROTHER NEFARIAN (once I find him)**

**N: Wait a sec, where's your brother, then?**

**K: Yeah, aren't you two supposed to be united to bring down your reign of carnage and chaos? And for that matter, aren't you two supposed to be full-bodied dragons? Not just teenagers with the heads of dragons?**

**(Onyxia Unleashes a massive fireball from it's mouth and charcoals Kvsyaoran's entire head)**

**K: (turns to Naruto) This again, huh?**

**N: It's like Mystery Science Theater 3000, only it sucks balls... HUH?!**

**K: You watched The Room again? Didn't you, Naruto?**

**N: Yes I did, Mark!**

**K: The nightmare begins.**

**AZ44: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto,**

**Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling,**

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><p>Chapter 2: The Boy Who Lived<p>

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><p>Harry sighed and slowly opened his eyes for the first time in days or even weeks for all he knew. He slowly picked himself off the floor of this unfamiliar realm. The wizard turned his head around both ways and looked to see that he was contained in some kind of room with no visible ceiling, floor, or even walls. He wasn't entirely sure how long he had been here, considering there had been a period of time when he had either been unaware or completely amnesiac. Soon after he had been sucked into this new place of his, Harry had lost his memory yet again, although his newly developed wisdom and intellect remained perfectly intact. He could remember all of the knowledge he had obtained but none of it seemed to matter at the moment. But judging from how tired he was and how stiff his new body felt, it would appear that at least a few months or even years had passed since he first entered this new world.<p>

The wizard sat up and tried to remember anything from what little memory he had for the time being. For a little while, he tried to remember how he had gotten there and, for that matter, figure out just where exactly he was. But from what he could gather, Harry concluded that he was in fact dead, seeing as the only memory he could recollect being the final moments of his life at the ruins of the Viaduct Courtyard.

And just like that, upon reabsorbing the environmental surroundings of his death, a lot of his memory started to come back to him, starting with his memories of Hogwarts Castle.

Once he had gotten all of his memories back over the next several days, Harry was set on to reconstruct his new accommodations, making them a little bit more welcoming. He had learned in the realm he lived in that whenever he desired something to exist or appear within his reach, he could make it appear with sheer force of will. Harry found it to be incredibly convenient and quickly got used to it.

Harry waved his hand over the dark walls and in an instant, the walls were constructed with solid wood and stone and he had them covered with magnificent tapestries reconstructed from his memories of Hogwarts, a little bit of the Burrow, and a beautified version of 12 Grimmauld Place. He smiled as the walls were finished and Harry looked down at the dark and bottomless floor. He set his foot down hard and the floor was decorated with rich carpet, the material woven out of an unearthly substance that made his feet feel warm and cozy. Harry then closed his eyes and focused on expanding his living space and created a bedroom, lounge, a bathroom for whenever he wanted to relax, a library to brush on the mass of information he obtained, a room similar to the Room of Requirement when he and the rest of the DA members trained, and an office and created his own Pensieve based on the one from Dumbledore's.

Because he didn't need to eat anymore, he saw little to no use in creating a kitchen. Although if he ever felt like relaxing in his lounge, Harry could summon an imitation of tea just to have the familiar taste in his mouth and match the atmosphere when it was needed.

Once finished with his refurbishes, Harry decided to really start living it up and started things off with taking a bath for an entire month.

Harry left his bedroom and walked towards one of the several wooden doors to his room and into the bathroom that he had based after the Prefect's Bathroom at Hogwarts, but this version was somewhat smaller and built to hold one or two adults. Harry approached the spacious tub and flicked his finger as he used wandless magic. With that one gesture, hot bathwater poured in through a faucet. Harry used another gesture and another faucet activated and poured hot scented water and filled the bath with bubbles. The wizard clicked his fingers and his robes and clothes were removed and he stood alone, naked from head to toe, aside from his glasses.

He looked over to his side and observed himself through the mirror on the wall. Harry couldn't help but notice that at the time of his death he sure did look reasonably toned. He wasn't a supermodel and he didn't look like he lifted weights, but he sure did look like a man. Harry flexed one of his muscles, unable to resist the temptation, and tightened his chest. The wizard couldn't believe that in all the time he and his best friends spent on the run had such a dramatic effect on his body. He often saw himself as normal and thin but not much else, but now he felt he could have bedazzled more witches than Victor Krum.

Harry chuckled at those idiotic thoughts and went ahead with his month in the bathtub. He turned from the mirror and caused steam to rise and cloud out his reflection so that he wouldn't admire it more than he did already. He then walked into the hot water and could have melted in pleasure.

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><p>The eternal teenaged wizard lay down on his magnificent bed and starred at the endless ceiling of his room. He took a breath and blew strands of his dark hair out of face, bored out of his mind. He had to admit that with all the time in the universe to relax in bliss was nice. But he was started to become bored and that was bad, considering the last few years of his life ended with him becoming one of the greatest and most profound wizards of all time with his defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort for the final time and ended the Second Wizarding War of Britain. He started to miss the excitement and adventure after he wasted the last several years alone and with no one to talk to. If nothing happened soon, Harry feared the possibility of falling into insanity or turning into a Star Child like in that film he watched with his aunt and uncle while neither of them noticed.<p>

The one other thing that even came close to an adventure in this new home was when he discovered the enormous creature. Harry had heard the sound of a monstrous creature sleeping noisily coming from the corridor he hadn't bother to investigate in the first several months of his confinement. He himself had been asleep at the time until he heard a vicious growl of an animal, which took him by surprise. Normally Harry wasn't bothered with beasts after the number of creatures he encountered in his travels, but this was one of the few times he ever felt scared when he heard the creature growl from the corridor. Dressed in a pair of pajamas and a bathrobe, he exited his quarters and entered the corridor for the first time. He stumbled upon what appeared to be a flooded alleyway or a surprisingly clean sewer. Harry was somewhat amused he set off down the corridor, his ankles submerged in water even though he did not feel his feet get wet. He continued down the hall towards the source of the noise until he found a door that led into complete darkness. Harry cleared his mind of all emotion and perfected the invisible shields he failed to create when he was still alive. In the countless centuries he spent alone and absorbed all of that knowledge, Harry had read up and at last mastered the art of Occlumency, though it took him over a hundred years to finally do it. If Hermione could see him now, she could have cried. But Harry wanted to imagine the look on Snape's face if he told him he became an Occlumens, but he imagined he would have stared at him blankly before he turned in the other direction. He would refuse to admit he was impressed.

Harry used his newly acquired magical skills to shield his mind before he entered the chamber to confront the creature. When he walked inside, he stared at a gigantic steel cage door that confined the most enormous creature he had ever seen. It was a fox with red fur, a massive demonic fox with nine enormous tails, black skin around its eyes that ran into its ears, and razor-sharp claws that shined like goblin-made silver. Before the creature had a chance to wake up, Harry turned invisible with a few charms he learned to use and stood at the foot of the bars. The wizard noticed a paper stuck at the crack of the door to the cage and saw Japanese letters that stood for the term, 'seal' written in ink. Harry whistled in awe of the massive fox-like creature, the monster made Fluffy, the Hungarian Horntail, and the Ukrainian Ironbelly about as intimidating as the Pillsbury Doughboy in comparison. The wizard then reached out for the bars and shook them to check how secure the containment was. The fox's confinement was secure, but Harry could sense invisible flows of energy leak out from between the bars and flow out of the cavernous chamber and into the corridor. The wizard felt he should add his own securities based on what he had learned in the last several millennia. He stretched out his arms in front of him and aimed his hands at the fox. At once, chains made of gold shot out of the sleeves of his robe and rushed between the bars and swathed around the fox and further confined it. The invisible energies he sensed felt less intense as the chains pinned the monster fox down to the floor while it continued to slumber. The chains were magical and purified the energies he sensed, induced the creature into an even deeper sleep, and lessened whatever influence it had when it's energies leaked out of its confinement.

That creature wasn't going anywhere anytime soon and it certainly wouldn't be able to wake up for a very long time.

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><p>It had been several years since Harry discovered the creature in the cage and now he was on his bed as glared at the ceiling, bored out of his mind. He had absolutely nothing left to do now that he had done pretty much everything that no one could possibly get away with while alive. He had done pretty much everything and had nothing else left to do as he grunted and sniffed out of boredom. The wizard sighed while he tried to determine how long he had been in this new world. But having no perception of time without sunrise or sunset, Harry couldn't even figure out how long he had even been awake. To make matters worse, Harry kept on having this strange and unexplainable feeling that he was forgetting something very important. From time to time, Harry would have unusual shifts in his mood and could never explain where these moods came from. Not to mention the unusual dreams he had in addition to these sudden mood-shifts.<p>

On the night it first started to happen, Harry was sleeping but he could remember feeling spectacular, as if he had just jumped off from a swing and started flying into the sky. When it had happened he almost rose out of his bed and stretched out his arms as he chuckled with poorly suppressed fits of joy. Another time it happened again while he slept, only Harry had a dream that involved him saying the name Hayate. When he woke up, Harry was surprised and confused to find his face was completely drenched with tears. Another time, Harry woke up with a start when he felt as if he had received a blow to the stomach. To his disbelief, he found a bruise on his stomach but then watched it heal the next second.

Harry tried his best to shake off these and these paranoid delusions of where his soul resided and tried to think of something to do to kill his boredom.

Before he drifted off into another dreamless slumber, Harry contemplated on whether or not he was able to die again. He had survived death several times and this marked the second time he ever decided to embrace his demise. The wizard didn't know what to do and he didn't want an eternal life with no one else around to waste it with.

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><p>{{<em>Happy Birthday HarrySorry 'Bout That by John Williams_}}

A few weeks later, Harry was on his bed and tried to rest for a while to let his brain cool down. He relaxed and tried to let his mind run free as the silence took him into a blissful state. All was well, until the wizard's senses went on full alert. For a fraction of a second he had an intense and unusual dream. He saw an outline of a small boy holding hands with his parents written in the dirt of some road. The wizard awoke with a start and froze when he heard the shouts of several human voices.

"Monster!"

"Demon brat!"

"Why don't you just die?"

Harry couldn't move in shock when he heard those voices, echoed in his mind before his vision blurred for a moment. He could have sworn that he saw a road, identical to the one from his dream. He also saw people, dressed in unusual clothes and shouted at him. But before he could make out their faces, the vision was over and he returned to his bedroom. He sat on the vast mattress and knew something strange was going on. Harry tried to determine what he visions meant and ruled out the chance that he was stuck in purgatory. He tried his best not to keep his hopes up at the idea of an escape from his confinement.

The dark-haired wizard tried to relax but felt restless as his mind filled with ideas and various scenarios. He dressed into some casual clothes and decided to look around his side of the realm to see what could have caused his visions to occur. He searched his office, checked the bathroom, lounge, training room, and double-checked his bedroom. But nothing was changed or altered in the last several years he had been there. The last area he hadn't checked was the corridor and the chamber with the monstrous fox.

Harry was about to leave for the corridor when, without warning, he felt a sharp pain strike at the back of his head. It felt like someone threw a rock at him, he stumbled and almost fell over. The wizard looked around to see if someone had attacked him, but he was still alone. Harry blinked in confusion, irritated and somewhat frustrated at the random occurrence before he shook it off and marched into the corridor. He headed towards the monster's cage, but when he arrived discovered nothing was different.

The wizard walked out of the chamber and continued to rub the back of his head. He sealed the door he constructed to further block out the excessive amount of demonic energies.

A few minutes later, as the wizard headed back to his own chambers, he heard another noise echo from the darkness. But this time, it came from further down the endless corridor and it sounded like a child. It was the sounds of a crying child and it sounded close. Being the Gryffindor student he was, Harry felt the urge to seek out the source and followed the tearful cries. The wizard walked down the endless dark corridor, further than the entrance to his chambers, farther than he ever walked down. He soon blinked when he felt rain start to kiss his face and moisten his dark hair. Harry looked up and saw actual rain continue to fall from the endless darkness above him. But then the cries of the child distracted him, he continued onward and the cries sounded closer.

Harry continued to walk but came to a halt and looked down at the floor ahead of him. He saw a boy, a small blonde-haired child who looked no older than about four, with his back against the wall and curled in a ball as he sobbed into his arms. The wizard felt his heart feel crushed at such a sight as he listened to his muffled sobs. In a moment of sympathy, the young man kneeled down to the same level as the child and silently prayed the little boy wasn't stuck here with the same fate as him.

"Hi there, kiddo…" the wizard called out in a soft and gentle voice, so as not to startle the small child too much, "You ok?"

The blonde child's head shot up at such an incredible speed when he heard the wizard's voice for the first time. The child shoved himself backwards and tried to run from Harry, which told him that he failed at trying not to startle him.

"It's ok, I won't hurt you," the man smiled in the same soft voice and introduced himself to calm the child down, "My name is Harry. What is your name?"

The child studied him and the wizard noticed he had the most vivid and incredible blue eyes he had ever seen. It was as if his irises were made out of sapphires and would have shined like diamonds if he didn't look so sad, scared, worried, and suspicious. The child observed the seventeen-year-old wizard carefully while he sniffled tried to clean the tears that stained his round and softened face.

The blonde child soon answered, "Na… Naruto."

Harry smiled and relaxed a bit. The child had an unusual name that sounded foreign, but the child's voice was soft, sweet, and innocent. The wizard like him almost at once and felt an unusual gravitation towards the child, as if he had seen him before.

"It's nice to meet you, Naruto. Why were you crying, little one?"

The wizard made sure his voice remained soft as it seemed to work; Naruto started to relax and calmed down enough for him to answer, his voice still sweet and innocent, but laced with sadness and heartbreak.

"The villagers, they… they called me names and threw things at me…" he whimpered, "I don't know what I did wrong! P-Please don't hate me…"

The last sentence of his short tale was stabbed at Harry's heart more than anything ever did before in his lifetime. When he heard that, the snatches he had heard earlier in that vision earlier made a lot of sense. Those shouts were aimed at the child, and if he was here and witnessed this child's view, it meant he was inside the child. Not too different from when the fraction of Voldemort's soul latched onto him when his mother's love first annihilated the Dark Lord. And the reason the blonde child was treated with so much hatred was because of the monster fox down the corridor. Harry would bet his entire inheritance that that was the reason. He had no doubt.

"Come here, little one…" the wizard swallowed the lump in his throat and reached his hand out to the blonde child and smiled at him in welcome, "I don't hate you at all, Naruto… No child should ever know such hate…"

Harry swallowed a second time as he remembered the treatment he received from the Dursleys and the loneliness he felt as he lived under their stairs as the unwanted child.

"I won't hurt you, little one," he assured the child, and Naruto started to reach towards him with a look of sadness and awe.

As a small hand brushed his own, Harry embraced the blonde child into his arms and held him close. The wizard cradled him to his chest and rocked him from side-to-side in a slow motion. The man smiled as a series of tears ran down his face. The storm that rained above started to vanish but no sun burst free from clouds and warmed them both. The darkness remained, but the corridor didn't feel as cold and wet as it looked.

"It's going to be ok… I'm here for you…" he whispered.

Harry held Naruto in his arms until he felt the child fall asleep in his embrace. He slowly picked him up from the sewer and stood carefully so as not to wake him. He then abandoned the dark and miserable location; with each step he took, the corridor started to transform from the bottom of a sewer into a corridor that resembled the inside of the castle he came to know as his home. He carried the unconscious child to his chambers and decided to combine his bedroom with the lounge. The wizard tucked the blonde-haired child under the covers of his massive and luxurious bed. Once secure, Harry reached back for a chair and sat down next to the bed to watch Naruto as he slept in peace.

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><p>The wizard didn't know when he dozed off, but he must have been asleep for a few hours. His muscles were a bit stiff until he stretched out and clicked his back and neck a few times. He leaned over the bed and checked on, who was still sound asleep. Harry smiled at the little kid, relieved now that a lot of his questions had been answered. He understood what had happened to him, where he was, and learned all about who Naruto was, and learned a lot about the world outside the realm he was contained within, all of this information was sent into his brain from the moment he touched Naruto's hand.<p>

He was sealed within Naruto, but he had also learned that the two of them were almost one in the same.

Their connection to one another was made obvious when he discovered Naruto had a scar on his forehead too, the same one on his forehead.

Back when Harry tried to force his soul to remain earthbound, like a Horcrux, he had failed. He then remembered what Slughorn had told Tom Riddle that the act to create a Horcrux was a violation against nature. Harry had tried a variation but had failed and the act had backfired on him. So whatever he tried to do resulted in his soul to be thrown into purgatory until he had mended whatever damage he had done.

Once the time had been served, Harry intended to be reincarnated and be reunited with his friends, but instead, his soul was forced into this world and he had to unite his soul with someone else and latched onto Naruto.

When he learned about all of this, Harry wasn't that shocked or amazed, after all he seemed to be Fate's favorite whipping boy.

All failed attempts to return to the wizarding world aside, Harry now had an idea where he was now. He realized that the creature sealed within Naruto's body alongside him was done at the hand of the fourth Hokage from a village called Konohagakure no Sato. The Hokage was the leader of the village, which was one of several in one of the Great Shinobi Lands of this world. The Hokage had sealed the demon within the infant Harry had caught a glimpse of when he entered this world and was sucked into Naruto with the beast, in order to save his home from further destruction at the hands of the monster. The wizard soon learned that the massive fox monster and the cage it was contained in did not belong inside of Naruto. When the demon was sealed within the child, Naruto was burdened with a life of loneliness and sorrow. In order to better understand the how the fox and the cage worked, he would have to study it further. But all of that could wait until later, because for now Naruto needed him. From what he had seen of his memories from their first contact, Naruto was going to need all the help he could possibly offer him.

But while he watched the child, he wondered if Naruto inherited his magical abilities, curious and eager to teach him in the magical arts.

Harry watched as Naruto stirred restlessly and realized he was having a nightmare. He reached over to the child and placed a gentle hand on his scarred forehead. Naruto flinched back even in his sleep but Harry kept his hand still until Naruto calmed down and he eventually leaned into his touch. The wizard smiled as the blonde-haired child's blue eyes fluttered open.

"Hello there, Naruto," he said and then asked, "Did you sleep well?"

A cautious nod was the blonde child's answer. Naruto looked around in order to figure out where he was and wondered how he had ended up there in the first place.

"Where?" the child whispered.

Harry soon answered, "That will take a lot of explaining. But before we do that, could you answer a few questions first for me, little one? I swear to you that you're safe here."

Harry talked to him in that soft and calm voice, as if Naruto were his own child, and the little kid stared at him for a while before he nodded.

The wizard asked, "How old are you?"

Naruto had to count his fingers before he turned to face the wizard and answered with, "Six."

This fact bowled over Harry and almost worried him, considering the fact that the boy was still so small and unusually skinny for a six-year-old. When he first met him in the corridor, Harry assumed Naruto was still a toddler, but when he was forced to think about it more, he was also about as small when he was the same age.

"Six years old?" the wizard asked before he smiled and said, "Already, you're such a big young man!"

Naruto smiled back and blushed before he listened to the wizard next several questions and his smile faded more and more with each question.

"Do you know why the villagers were calling you names?"

Harry wanted to know if the child was acquainted with the fact that a monstrous fox demon was sealed inside of him, but he was careful not to reveal the truth and further upset him. Naruto answered the wizard with an almost violent shake of his shake.

"Where are your parents? Do you have any family?"

The small blonde-haired child answered with a sad frown, "No… Don't… have any…"

Harry removed himself from his chair and sat on the bed, beside the child. He reached out to the child and removed him from the sheets, rested him onto his lap, and hugged him.

"Do you remember them?" he asked, to which Naruto answered with another shake of his head.

The wizard then told him in a remorseful tone, as he wanted the child to know that he wasn't alone, "My parents died when I was little too," and then he asked, "Who takes care of you?"

"No one… they don't want me…" the small blonde child hesitated for a bit before he asked with a somewhat fearful tone, "W-Will you take care of me?"

Harry sighed, as he wanted to take the child in but was aware of their situation, "As much as I can, Naruto. I promise. I… I… well… Ok… How do I explain this so it will make sense?"

He continued to mutter what to do under his breath while Naruto stared at him, curious about his mysterious new friend. Harry soon rested Naruto back down picked him up and put him back on the bed so that the two of them faced each other on the bed and their knees touched.

"Do you believe in magic, Naruto?" the wizard asked in a serious tone that matched the look on his face.

Naruto scrunched his nose and closed his eyes when he tried to think as hard as he could, as if he didn't understand what he had asked him.

"Is that like chakra?" the tiny boy asked and Harry blinked at him.

He hadn't even heard of such a word before, but he imagined it to be some kind of odd specimen of cat. Harry soon focused on the memories he absorbed from Naruto and tried to determine what the word meant. He soon realized that chakra was a form of energy that a shinobi produced and allowed shinobi to use a variation of spells known as jutsu. Harry found the idea to be complicated and couldn't understand how someone could use chakra without an instrument, like a wand.

Harry eventually told his new little friend, "In a way, I guess so… I'm a wizard, Naruto. That means I'm able to use magic. Before I was born, a prophecy was made that concerned me and another wizard. And this other wizard was a bad man, an evil man that tried to kill me several times. But after a while, I hunted down his weakness and tried to survive from him while I tried to protect my friends from his wrath... When I was seventeen years old, the chase was over and I faced him for one final time and I managed to destroy him... But in the process... I was mortally wounded."

He didn't think Naruto was old enough to understand the whole mentality and magically linked story, however the words mortally wounded seemed to sink in. The child's eyes grew comically wide and round, but it wasn't funny for that long when his face turned white and he made an attempt to run away. Harry quickly stopped him from leaving by scooping the child in his arms and held him gently again.

"Hush there, little one. It's ok." he cooed.

Naruto stuttered, "Y-Y-You're dead?! Am I dead, too?! Where are we? I can't be dead! I can't be dead!"

Harry held Naruto in his arms tightly as the child panicked and struggled. He started rocking him again gently, making soothing noises and rubbing circles on his back until he was able to calm him down.

"You are not dead, Naruto. I promise you," he answered, "You could be unconscious or asleep, but you are not dead."

"Then where? How?"

Harry asked him in that same serious voice he used earlier, "Do you know what reincarnation is?"

Naruto nodded slowly before his eyes turned wide again and then he whispered in shock, "You and me?"

"Yes… But something went wrong and I was sucked inside of your body and now I'm stuck here. This whole world we are now in together is your soul, Naruto. It's a mindscape. I'm trapped in here so I can't take care of you out in the real world, but I will still be in here for you. I think you managed to bring yourself here after what happened with the villagers because subconsciously, you knew you would be safe in here. Either that or one of them threw a rock at you hard enough. I can't protect you out there but I can teach you things; magic if you received my abilities, I can also teach languages, mathematics, science, medicine, survival, teach you how to fight."

The blonde child beamed with excitement, "You can teach me how to fight? Really?! I wanna be a shinobi! I'm going to the Ninja Academy and everything!"

Harry smiled at the sudden change in the child's behavior. All he had to do was mention fighting and the kid switched emotions in a heartbeat. But then something perplexed him deeply, the mention of the word ninja or rather shinobi. This forced Harry to stop and wonder whether he was in a different time period or thrust into a whole other world entirely. He could've been thrust into an entire different dimension for all he knew, with no knowledge or way of returning to the world he left behind. But for now he would have to figure out where he was and what sort of world he landed in.

In all respects, he almost felt like Doctor Who.

"Naruto, will you trust me to do something?" he asked, "I've been stuck in here your whole life and know nothing of the outside world. So I want to take a good look at all of your memories that I haven't already glimpsed at. It won't hurt you or anything, although it may feel a little bit strange."

{{_A New Home by John Williams_}}

Harry let him think it over for a moment as Naruto made that cute look of his where he tried his hardest to think. The small blonde-haired child soon stared up at the older male for a while, looking eager and nervous to ask him for something as well.

"Will you be my Nii-san?" he asked.

Harry wasn't expecting a question like that from the child.

"Your what?" he asked in bewilderment.

Naruto explained to him, "Nii-san. It's a word that means big brother. You can trust family. You're older than me and you said you'd look after me and take care of me and stuff…"

The child trailed off, now unsure that he would ever say yes. Harry stared at the small blonde child before he cracked a warm smile and welcomed him with open arms.

"Yeah," the wizard declared, "I will be your Nii-san, Naruto!"

The small child beamed and then let out a great whoop of joy before he tackled Harry and the older man laughed as he began to tickle his new little brother. Naruto laughed and squirmed with joy, crying tears of happiness for the first time in what felt like decades to him. Harry pinned Naruto down to the bed in a playful manner and started giving him a harmless zerbret on his small stomach and he continued to smile and laugh, as if he were with his own child.

Harry sat back on his bed and mulled over Naruto's memories that he extracted and stored into the Pensieve in his office. He had learned a lot from his surface memories, but bit off a lot more than he could chew when he used the Pensieve. He didn't want to believe it, but Naruto's childhood was miserable, because of the demon fox sealed inside of him. Konoha's civilian citizens and most of the shinobi ostracized him and Naruto had been attacked several times because most of the citizens believed Naruto to be the monster's human form.

The first kind of magic he felt he should teach Naruto first would have to be Occlumency. He wanted the child to be able to shield his true emotions from the citizens of Konoha, so that no one that harms him will have the satisfaction. He also wanted Naruto to shield his mind from access or influence from the monster sealed within him.

From Naruto's memories, the wizard learned a lot more about this monster.

The creature was called the Kyuubi no Kitsune, or The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. A ravenous and powerful beast that was rumored to have existed a long time ago within the legends and tales told in the Shinobi Lands. The wizard had waited until after Naruto had returned to the real world to visit the Kyuubi's chamber to once more and reinforce the cage with even more magical defenses. The energies he had sensed come from the beast earlier was, in fact, its chakra. The chakra leaked out and mixed into Naruto's own chakra in order to fuel him with a lot more chakra than most human were able to hold in their bodies. It didn't harm Naruto, but the extra chakra the demon tried to leak out had influenced Naruto's behavior until Harry created the magical defenses and lessened the influence the demon had over him. The Yondaime's seal he left on the door into the cage was designed to lessen the influence and allow their chakra to mix, but Harry's additions served as a bonus and allowed Naruto to be rid of the negative influence even more so. This was evident in the subtle whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks. Ever since Harry increased the defenses, the thin whisker marks on his cheeks became less noticeable and almost no one could see them under most environmental circumstances. This was excellent news, now that Harry didn't have to be as worried about the fox turning Naruto into an evil incarnation. He didn't want the child to turn into the next Dark Lord and unleash his hatred on the citizens; no matter how bad those he was treated. But for their sake he knew what that choice would do to Naruto's soul. So the wizard decided he had to do whatever he could to make sure that demon fox remained in an eternal slumber.

Harry soon reached out his right hand and focused his magic into his hand. There was an intense white flash before he held in his hand an exact replica of his original phoenix feather wand.

"Looks like a lifetime of trouble wasn't enough…"

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><p>To Be Continued…<p>

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><p><strong>And we're here! When Harry Met Naruto! Zing!<strong>

**(Eternal Silence)**

**Kvsyaoran: Oh come on! That was genius!**

**AZ44: That was genius? No. The guy who created the World of Warcraft was a genius!**

**K: For the last time, Azeroth44! I don't give a f#$ about World of Warcraft or the guy who locked himself in a storage garage and created it!**

**Onyxia: What did you just say about the Creator?**

**K: Oh crap.**

**Naruto: You're screwed.**

**Onyxia: ROAR!**

**K: NOT AGAIN!**

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><p><strong>Please remember to review! And keep them kind if you will, please. Thank you!<strong>


	3. The Ninja Academy

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's thoughts/other people's thoughts

'_**Blah**_': Harry talking to Naruto

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><p><strong>EXPECTO PATRONUM!<strong>

**(A gigantic silver Hungarian Horntail erupts from Kvsyaoran's hand and protects him and Naruto from teenager Onyxia's flame attacks)**

**Kvsyaoran: It's holding up!**

**Naruto: This is the worse thing that's ever happened on the set of this thing!**

**K: NO WAY! We've been through way worse situations than this and come out of it just fine!**

**N: We have?**

**K: Yeah! Remember the time we watched David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly?**

**N: DON'T REMIND ME! GOD! I HATE THAT MOVIE! Granted, Jeff Goldblum's performance in the role was spectacular and I love him as an actor, BUT I HATE THAT MOVIE! IT'S SO GROSS!**

**K: It wasn't that gross. And at least it wasn't M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender.**

**Naruto & Kvsyaoran: (Shudders) Ughhhhhhhh...**

**AZ44: YOU BASTARD! YOU AND LEAF RANGER MADE ME WATCH THAT! OVER AND OVER!**

**N: When did that happen?**

**K: Remember? During Chapter 25 of the Chunin Exams? To punish Azeroth44, LeafRanger tortured Azeroth44 by having him tied to a chair, forced his eyelids open, and forced him to watch that terrible adaptation to a good series for several days. That was shortly after he forced him to watch Barney and the Teletubbies as well. What fun!**

**AZ44: You guys are assholes!**

**N: Oh yeah! That DID happen! We love you too, Azeroth44!**

**AZ44: F*** YOU, NARUTO!**

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto,**

**Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling,**

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><p>Chapter 3: The Ninja Academy<p>

* * *

><p>Naruto Uzumaki stared out at the vast and incredible city of Konohagakure from the window of his dark and desolate bedroom. The small child sighed as he pressed his scarred forehead onto the cold surface of the glass. Naruto had a slightly rounded face, knobbly knees, beautiful blonde hair, and equally magnificent blue eyes that shined like two sapphires. He had a number of different birthmarks on his face that looked a lot like the whiskers of a cat or a fox. There were three thin black lines on each of his cheeks, as if someone had drawn them on his face with a pencil. The one thing that Naruto liked about his own appearance was a thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had had it for as long as he could remember, and the very first question he could remember asking his grandfather Hiruzen Sarutobi was how he had gotten it.<p>

"Because the gods blessed you when you were born," he had said, "You were marked as one of their beloved children."

Naruto could always remember his grandfather always said nice things about him.

For as long as the small child could remember, Sarutobi had taken care of him, and treated him as if he were his actual grandchild. Hiruzen Sarutobi was now the current ruler of Konoha as the renowned as the Sandaime Hokage, the third shinobi ruler of Konoha, as well as the strongest and most influential shinobi of the land. About six years ago, after the death of the Yondaime Hokage, the old man came out of retirement to assume his role as Hokage until he found another suitable successor. The old man was of average height, his hair was white and stuck out behind him in spikes. He also had a goatee, warm brown eyes, and a few wrinkles with one or two liver spots on his aged face.

The kindhearted old man started to take care of Naruto several months after the demon had been defeated, after the child's mother had died. The orphaned Naruto lived in bliss with the old man, unaware of the deaths of his mother and father until he became a toddler. Naruto's surrogate grandfather provided him with all the love and attention he could offer. But then it all changed when Naruto overheard the old man have an argument with the other elders of Konoha. Before he had a chance to understand what had happened, Naruto was told that he had to leave the Sarutobi estate and live in the apartment he lived in now. The kind old man was the only friend Naruto had in the entire world, and then he vanished from his life for months at a time. While saddened that he couldn't live with the Sarutobi clan anymore, Naruto tried to remain positive. The old man still visited him to bring him his allowance, but also took the time to drink tea with him, play small games, and simply talk like they used to. But in the last several months, his visits had become rare, but that should be expected since the old man had the weight of an entire country on his shoulders. Hiruzen Sarutobi sometimes didn't have time to spend with his surrogate grandson. But to make sure Naruto was still looked after, the old man hired several guardians and babysitters to watch over him and take care of him. However, the village's council decided that Naruto didn't need babysitters anymore and decided it was time for him to learn how to live well on his own.

Naruto felt even more alone than ever, not to mention depressed. The blonde child sighed as he looked down the street from his bedroom window, at the corner of town where he was attacked two weeks earlier and met Harry for the first time. It had been two weeks since he had met him and he started to have doubts that he even existed, if his encounter with him was all a dream. Soon after the events in the mindscape, Naruto woke up on the floor of the alleyway where he had lost consciousness. He had healed from his injuries and the people who attacked him never came back, so he ran back home as fast as he could.

Naruto thought that once he started his first term at the Ninja Academy, things would start getting better for him. But to his misfortune, life wasn't that simple and easy.

* * *

><p>Naruto went to the Ninja Academy for the first time about two weeks earlier.<p>

When he arrived he and the rest of the new students had to attend an opening ceremony, where all of the facilities teachers and the Hokage were lined in front of the double doors of their education and recruitment center. But before the students were allowed to enter, the Hokage gave a speech that Naruto paid little to no attention to. It was all about the conditions of being a student and understanding what the students were signing up for. Naruto had already sworn to the conditions with Sarutobi when he was first asked if he wanted to become a shinobi, so he didn't have to listen to the speech if he didn't want to.

Naruto instead looked around the crowds, curious at all of the new faces he saw of the other students. But then he noticed all of them were accompanied with one or both of their parents. It served to remind Naruto that he didn't have a mom or dad to stand at his side and watch him take his first steps towards his future. Naruto would have felt depressed had it not been for Sarutobi when he ended his speech and called out the names of the students and announced the name of their teachers. Naruto's teacher was a man named Daikoku Funeno and followed the other students who were also listed with that instructor. Before he entered the school for the first time and scurried through a series of corridors lined with doors and room numbers until he found his classroom.

When he entered, Naruto took a seat close to the door and remained silent and optimistic to the new environment while he and the other students waited for their sensei to arrive. When he did arrive, Naruto's confidence in his teacher took a blow when he noticed his appearance. Daikoku was tall but he was also overweight with two chins and looked like he hadn't been on a mission or even trained for over a decade. To make matters worse, he shared a mean look at Naruto and the child noticed the look. He had the same hateful look he associated with the other villagers that distanced themselves from him and made him feel unwelcomed. But Daikoku soon turned his emotions around for the rest of the class and it became clear that he didn't have a lot of brains; he sounded dumb and didn't seem to be interested in his students.

After introductions were in order, Daikoku answered few of Naruto's questions whenever he was confused about a certain lesson. It didn't matter if he asked how to throw a kunai or how chakra manipulation worked, the oversized teacher was harsh on Naruto and never answered him. This continued for the rest of the class until Daikoku decided to tune Naruto whenever he raised his hand and the child decided to hold his hand down.

The next time Naruto ever asked his teacher a question about their lesson, Daikoku decided to teach Naruto a lesson for his near-constant interruptions when he forced him to sit down and stuck a hat on his head written with the word that meant, "idiot" in Japanese. The other students in the classroom then ridiculed him and laughed at his misfortune, while Daikoku let the children have their fun and smiled.

Naruto almost burst into tears and his face turned red before he stormed out of the classroom and raced for the bathroom as the bells tuned for recess. He didn't bother to check if no one else was inside with him as Naruto locked himself inside one of the stalls and cried until recess was over.

On the third day of school, Naruto faced fewer incidents with Daikoku; he learned to remain silent and follow the lesson as best as he could. But as he tried his best to listen and write down notes, he noticed Daikoku breezed across the historical events in his lecture. He read from a notebook he carried at all times and recited his notes, word-for-word, which made it clear that Daikoku didn't prepare proper lectures and his written tests would ask questions that most of his students didn't know how to answer.

When the bell toned for recess, Naruto took his homemade lunch and ate his rice and ramen noodles alone on a bench outside the Ninja Academy. No one else from his class wandered as far as he did and Naruto didn't want to interact with them. The blonde-haired child didn't like his classmates that much, due to the fact that he didn't know them outside the classroom. Not to mention, he lacked the confidence to make new friends. The other students seemed cruel when he was ridiculed earlier in the week and all of them seemed like faceless drones to him and blended into the background.

It wasn't until the fourth day of school, during recess, did one of the other students decided to talk to Naruto while he sat alone on the one swing under the oak tree.

It was one of his classmates, he was about as old as Naruto, he had a mess of brown hair, grey eyes, red triangles painted on his cheeks, and smelled like a wet dog. The child introduced himself as Kiba Inuzuka, and he wanted to know if Naruto wanted to play with him. The blonde-haired child was almost afraid to answer him; it was a whole new experience to him for someone to want to interact with him. Despite his lack of social interaction in his earlier childhood, Naruto smiled and accepted his classmate's offer.

Naruto and Kiba often spent most of their time together at recess and the two of them hit it off well. Naruto tried to teach Kiba how to play a marble game he knew, called Gobstones. Kiba was a slow learner but started to understand the basic rules. The brown-haired child learned to love this new game, especially the part where he was supposed to pretend that a foul liquid spewed out of the marbles and hit him in the face. Naruto couldn't remember the last time he had so much fun with someone else and relished the time he spent with his new friend.

But all of that had changed the following Monday when Naruto approached Kiba during recess. He had difficulty looking for him on the playground until he found him sitting by himself next to the slides, failing to realize that all of the other students were intentionally avoiding him. Naruto simply hadn't heard about what happened before he talked to Kiba, but recently, Kiba's father had abandoned him and his family and didn't take it well at all.

Oblivious to this, Naruto approached him with a sack of marbles in his hand and asked his new friend if he wanted to finish their game from last week and called with a cute nickname. Kiba looked offended and he punched Naruto in the face as hard as he could. The child from the Inuzuka clan attacked Naruto and slammed his fists into the blonde child's face and torso. The smaller student cried and screamed as his classmate clawed at his face and felt his face start to swell as his blood blinded him. The other students stood around and watched the attack and none of them bothered to call a teacher.

No one came to the rescue until a new teacher noticed the incident and threw Kiba off of Naruto. The man that saved Naruto had tan skin, a scar that ran across his face, and his brown hair was tied into a ponytail. The new teacher roared at Kiba for what he had done and mentioned he would make sure his mother would know what he did and gave him a month's detention for such a barbaric assault. Soon after, the man carried Naruto in his arms and took him to the hospital. Naruto's face was covered in bruises, cuts, and tons of blood. The tan-skinned teacher never left the child's side and reminded him he would be ok and comforted him as he cried. But soon the teacher was forced to leave the child and returned to the Ninja Academy to teach his first class.

But Naruto remained at the hospital for the rest of the week as he healed from his injuries and regretted every decision he made ever since he started to attend the Ninja Academy.

* * *

><p>It was Naruto's first two weeks at the Academy and already he regretted having even gone there. It felt as if no matter where he went, misfortune and trouble were soon to follow. His first experience at school was like a nightmare to him. With the exception of that one teacher that rescued him, Naruto had no reason to return and wished with all his heart that he had asked what that teacher's name was. He wished he could transfer to his class, he would never forget his kindness.<p>

But even so, Naruto wished he could escape and go off somewhere where he could be himself and not feel so much fear and hatred. He wanted to return to that dream world he entered a few weeks ago where he met the wizard. He wanted to be reunited with that dark-haired man with the green eyes. He wanted to see and be with Harry more than anything else in the world.

Once the town's clock struck midnight, Naruto backed away from the window and crawled into bed, praying that he hadn't imagined the warm young man with green eyes and that he really did want to help him. He let the darkness of sleep consume him but never once did he lose his intense desire to return to the mindscape.

* * *

><p>"I was wondering when you were going to come back, little one…"<p>

Naruto opened his eyes and to his delighted surprise he had awoken underneath the covers of the most gigantic bed he had ever seen. The same one Harry had tucked him into over two weeks ago. He whirled his head around and found himself back in the world he remembered and must have willed himself there through his intense desire. He held his breath in surprise when he saw Harry smiling at him and he threw himself at the older wizard, who caught him and hugged him back.

"S'matter? What's wrong?" the wizard asked.

Naruto answered in a soft, vulnerable voice, "I thought you weren't real…"

Harry laughed and then asked out of concern, "I'm real, kiddo… So how are we?"

He felt Naruto tremble in his arms and had him sit down next to him. The small blonde child shrugged and tried to hide the scars and bruises he received from vicious canine-kid. Harry placed a finger under the boys chin and gently forced him to look up at his face. The wizard identified the remains of the bruises and cuts before his turned more solemn and serious.

"What happened, little one?" he asked.

Naruto didn't want to answer his question. So he distracted the wizard with a question he had wanted to ask for a while now.

"Why do you call me that all the time?" he asked in a curious tone.

Harry offered him a sad smile, "Because you are little; at least you are when compared to me. And, erm… you're my little brother now, right? You're also the closest I'll ever get to having a kid of my own…"

"Did you want to have kids?" the child asked in a sweeter voice.

"Yeah..." the wizard sighed, "I was in a relationship with this wonderful witch named Ginny Weasley. I was… after the Second Wizarding War was over and once things had settled down and we both finished school after the war, I was going to ask her to marry me. I would have wanted to have a family with her once I found some decent work at the Ministry of Magic… Actually, whenever we could have had children, I would have challenged her to a rock-paper-scissors match to see if I could name all of our children after our friends and favorite teachers!"

Both Harry and Naruto snorted with laughter before the blonde child asked, "What kinda names?"

The older wizard was about to list the names he would have chosen for his children but then he realized what Naruto tried to do and stared at him in a somewhat comical and serious look.

"Oi! You're changing the subject, little one! What happened to you out there in the real world? Where did all these marks and bruises come from?"

Naruto's mood was dampened in an instant, as the events of the last two weeks rushed back to him.

"I… I thought that things would be different once I started at the Ninja Academy… but things are just as bad as before… No… they're even worse. This one kid in my class called Kiba beat me up for no reason," the child sniffed and brushed his cheeks out of habit, as his face turned red and puffier, "I had to be sent to the hospital… and… and almost all the teachers were mean to me… they think I'm dumb and Daikoku-sensei let all the kids make fun of me! I just wanted him to help me understand the lesson b-better! W-Why did he do that to m-me?! W-What did I ever do to him?!"

Harry reached out and embraced Naruto when he saw his lips start to tremble and tears threatened to flow down his face in torrents. The child started to blubber and sobbed once he was tucked into his older companion's arms. To help him feel better, Harry kissed the top of his head and then told him about how his friend Neville had similar problems with Draco Malfoy and Snape before he came out of his shell. Harry even told Naruto what it was like for him when he was in Muggle primary school back when his cousin bullied him. Until now, he had almost never before told anyone about the details of his life before he discovered he was a wizard, not even to Ron or Hermione.

He then said in a soft voice, "I understand how it feels, Naruto… but don't fret… I swear that things will start working out better for you someday… Plus, you've got something that I never got to have when I was your age..."

"What is it?"

The older wizard smiled and announced, "A teenaged wizard living inside in your mind!"

Naruto giggled and started to feel a little bit better. Harry smiled back even more and drew out his wand from his robes, "Now… it's about time we started! Class is now in session!"

The child moaned and the wizard chuckled, "Don't complain, little one. This kind of school is different from the one you're used to."

Harry stood from the bed and walked over to the wall of his bedroom and brushed his wand to it. This caused the wall to shift and transformed into a solid wooden door with a silver handle. Naruto was amazed at seeing his older brother use his abilities with such ease. At the sight his first taste of magic, the child bolted from his seat on the bed to get a closer look.

"Wow," he awed, "How did you do that?!"

"I'm a wizard, remember?" he smiled, "I can do anything I want… and so can you, Naruto."

"I can?" he asked, curious and entranced.

Harry shrugged and said, "Almost. But it's going to take time, patience, and a lot of practice and hard work."

The wizard motioned for Naruto to follow him and the child followed close behind and stood at the foot of the door. Harry then kneeled down to his level and placed his hands on his small shoulders.

"I want you to listen to me carefully, Naruto." he started in a calm and cool voice, "To help live up to my promise and teach you everything I know, I want you to have a similar experience I had when I first stepped into the wizarding world. But I'm going to make sure to give you the finest education that a child such as yourself deserves… When we first met, I could feel a great potential for your future and a strong source of magic that could far exceed my own."

The blonde-haired child placed a hand on his chest and asked in wonderment, "You sense magic within _me_?"

"Yes. You're a wizard, too, Naruto… But to confirm this, I have to ask… have you ever made anything happen before? Anything you couldn't explain whenever you were angry or scared?"

Naruto took a few minutes to think about what Harry asked of him and then he stared out once he remembered. A dim series of memories came back to him: when he was playing on a swing in the local park, pumping his legs to go higher and higher and reach out towards the heavens. But then he slid off the swing but started to soar into the air. He floated in the air as if he was weightless and then he was lowered down to the ground as if he had wings. Another unusual incident was in the last week in class; Naruto was terrified that he wouldn't be able to write down his notes in time while in Daikoku's class. But as he tried to write down certain facts on the chalkboard, the chalk exploded when it made contact with the board. He had run out of chalk soon after and was forced to cut the lecture short. And the third time he remembered was when an older kid tugged at his hair, threw dirt in his face, and broke his favorite toys. Naruto couldn't take one more second and the child threw the older kid off of him in a fit of rage, wishing the old kid to leave him alone. But then the older child flew in the air and vanished. The kid wasn't found until hours later, stuck in a tree, hanging by his underwear while birds and owls attacked him.

All of those strange occurrences that had occurred all his life made a lot of sense. And after all this time he had thought that there was something wrong with him or he was going insane.

Harry saw the look of realization in his little brother's face and beamed, "That proves it. The reason you could do all of those strange things was because you were not able to control your emotions, which were linked to your magical abilities. You lost control of your powers and they acted upon your desires and actions at the time. A wizard or witch's emotional state can affect their abilities in magic, both positively and negatively."

What was so strange to Naruto about this information was that he was somehow able to understand it better than how Daikoku or Sarutobi could explain how to throw a kunai at a tree. It was like he had learned this stuff before and nodded to let the older wizard know he understood.

"While you're under my guidance, I won't just teach how to use your magic, but I'll also teach you how to control it. After looking at your memories when you were here last time, I saw that there were one or two instances where you were almost caught using it. We can't let anyone else know that you can use magic and we have to make no one knows that I exist. It'll be our little secret."

"Why, Nii-san? Can't I tell grandpa about it?" asked the curious little wizard.

But Harry insisted in a calm and collected voiced, "No. Naruto, I don't want you to tell anyone that you're a wizard, and I especially neverwant you showing off your abilities to anyone else for as long as we can. Because if people knew that you had so much power within you, they wouldn't want you living in the village anymore. Muggles can be afraid and hateful of magic among many things they don't understand."

"Muggles?" asked the child, "What are those?"

The older wizard answered, "It's the name for non-magical people. If the Muggles found out that you could use magic, they could keep relying to you to use your magic to solve their problems or fulfill their own selfish ambitions. The Muggles could abuse you for your powers. And there might be people out there who will hate you even more than they already do and want to destroy you because they could mistaken your abilities for something more sinister in nature. Muggles are not so different from us, Naruto. Not all of them are bad. They just don't always understand and they might not react to your abilities with kindness or acceptance."

The child looked fearful at the thought of the villagers hating him even more. But then the older wizard nuzzled Naruto's blonde hair with his hand and smiled at him.

"But in order to avoid that, you just have to keep the existence of your powers and me a complete secret no matter what until the time is right to reveal them. Do you understand, little one?"

Naruto hesitated for a few minutes before he nodded his head.

"Good," he smiled, "Then it's about time we started, huh?"

The older wizard stood and remained close to the door he had created, as he looked down at his little brother.

"I'm going to place you into a simulation of the world I am from. So that I can give you a taste of the wizarding world that I'm sure doesn't exist in this world. Are you ready for this, Naruto?"

Naruto looked down at his feet before he looked at him with an eager and enthusiastic look on his adorable face and balled his hands into fists. Harry smiled and then clicked the door to unlock. There was a flash of white light that burst out from the edges of the door. Once the door started to slowly open, Naruto was temporarily blinded with an intense light. Harry offered his hand to Naruto and the blonde wizard took it without question and let the wizard take him into the light.

{{_Diagon Alley by John Williams (Film Version)_}}

Once his vision was restored, Naruto blinked and stared out in complete disbelief at what he saw as Harry grinned at look on his face; A cobbled and twisting street came into existence that twisted and turned out of sight. It almost looked as if Naruto were thrown back into the streets of an uncommonly friendly neighborhood in Konoha. But it was curved, twisted with structured a mixture of western and eastern influences. There were no doors made of wood and paper but there were scarlet arches and lanterns that hovered above the streets. The entire environment was so alien to little Naruto, but somehow it felt like he had been there before, in another life.

Shops and stores were lined on both ends of the street; all of them lit with bright colors and were full of life. The sun shone brightly on a tall stack of cauldrons outside the nearest store. Cauldrons made of copper, brass, pewter, silver, and even solid gold. Naruto turned his head in every direction he could, spinning around, trying to look at everything all at once.

There were shops with broomsticks on display, and actual people were out and about, shopping or selling. There was a plump wizard outside of an Apothecary selling dragon livers, a kind-looking witch that was out advertising a new love potion she brewed, and even an energetic old man wearing a strange pointed hat calling out into the growing crowds of people, shouting that he was stocked with a new line of state-of-the-art broomsticks. Naruto heard low, soft hooting from a thousand owls from over a hundred different species being displayed at a pet store. He saw several boys about his age had their noses pressed against the glass of a window with broomsticks in it, outside the shop the old man owned. There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes, strange silver instruments that whistled and shot out steam, and stores that were selling quills, parchment, and even ink of every color and texture.

"Where are we, Harry?" the little blonde kid shouted in amazement.

The older wizard winced at the volume of the child's voice but smiled as he said, "Welcome to Diagon Alley! At least the simulated version…"

"How did we get here? And who are all these people?"

Harry explained to him, "This is a simulation I crafted and designed from my memories of the actual Diagon Alley as well as your memories of the streets, shops, and neighborhoods of Konohagakure. So that way, I can help give you better experience the norm of a standard British wizarding society, mixed with the culture that you are already familiar with. This environment will help you adjust to the curriculum I laid out for you."

He crouched down and pointed out to the people that Naruto had asked about, "None of these people are actually real, mind you. They can't talk to you and they cannot hear you. They are a projection of the same people I've seen mucking about in this alley during the summers I came here to restock on school supplies. Normally a Hogwarts student would have to come to this place to purchase their books, wands, or new robes."

"What's Hogwarts?"

"It's the school where I was educated." he said, "Hogwarts is a magnificent castle that makes the Ninja Academy look like a broom closet. I lived there for six years, with the exception of the holidays and being on the run during my seventh year of school. But I was heavily involved in the Battle of Hogwarts before I… well, before I died."

Naruto asked in amazement, "It's a castle?!"

"Yes. It was an ancient and gigantic enchanted castle. It was almost half the size of Konoha if all the floors were laid out and stretched across an even landmass. It had all these towers, turrets, and numerous enchantments to make it one of the safest places in the wizarding world… with a few exceptions, of course…"

Harry stared at the skies as he reminisced about all the times he and his friends snuck in and out of the castle and all the times Sirius, Draco, and Neville found methods to sneak in and out of the ancient fortress. But then he shook his head and moved forward with his little brother.

"Well, we better get moving if we want to get all of your things before the Alley starts to get crowded," he joked, "Let's go!"

The child looked up at him again with his head tilted, "Huh?"

"C'mon, then," the older wizard crouched down closer to Naruto's level to invite him to climb on his shoulders, "How about it, little one?"

Naruto happily obliged and clambered up on Harry's back, having no recollection of anyone doing this for him since he lived with Sarutobi. The older man held onto his tiny legs over his shoulders while Naruto wrapped his arms around Harry's neck, being careful not to choke him. Harry then started to walk down the alley, eager to get started on teaching Naruto what he had to offer.

* * *

><p>{{<em>Hogwarts Neutral by Jeremy Soule<em>}}

Harry guided Naruto throughout the entire simulation, visiting familiar sites and helping his little brother find and become familiar with all the supplies he would use for his training. It seemed a little bit excessive and pointless to make it seem like Naruto was buying school supplies, but the older wizard didn't care. So long as it helped Naruto ease into a healthier learning environment.

One of Naruto's favorite visits out of all the shops they visited that day would have to be Flourish and Blotts. The small child stared at the rows and shelves of books containing untold history with magical spells and enchantments. He ran up and down the rows of books, excitedly looking for something he wanted to learn, jumping up and itching to read the titles written in English and Japanese, somehow he was able to read and understand both languages. The older of the two wizards watched as Naruto ran around the bookstore before he found a book he wanted.

The child had a difficult time holding it up to show his older brother figure, as it was large and weighed almost as much as he did. Naruto tumbled around and showed Harry the book before his legs buckled and the book collapsed on top of him in a comical fashion. Harry picked it up and readjusted his glasses so that he could read out the lengthy title. He raised his eyebrows and his glasses slipped down his nose in surprise. He recognized it as the exact same book of jinxes and curses that he wanted to purchase when he first came to the real Flourish and Blotts with Hagrid:

_Curses and Counter-Curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying, Decapitation, and Much, Much More (Ultimate Scholastic Edition)_ by Professor Vindictus Viridian.

Naruto asked in a sweet voice when he stood and practically begged, "I wanna use this on Kiba and that Daikoku-sensei! Please, Nii-san? Pwease?"

Harry showed subtle signs of disapproval at Naruto's thought of committing terrible revenge against the boy he mentioned as well as his terrible teacher. But then he tosses aside his disapproval and smiled as he took the book into a shopping bag he summoned from out of nowhere. He agreed to keep it and thought of the number of things he could do to help Naruto give his enemies their dues, so long as they weren't caught in the act. The small child let out a great whoop of excitement and thanked Harry by hugging his leg affectionately.

After Flourish and Blotts, they dropped by the Apothecary, to pick up to see the essential potion ingredients required of a first and second year potions. Naruto couldn't stand being inside of the store as the animal fangs hanging from the ceiling scared him and the unpleasant odor from the cauldrons burned the inside of his nose; it was like a mixture of bad eggs, rotted cabbages, and many other foul things. It also didn't help when he looked into the barrels filled with the eyeballs of animals, herbs, dried roots, and colorful powders, though the powders were quite beautiful to look at.

Once they left the Apothecary, they journeyed down the alley to pick up a cauldron for Naruto. The little wizard wanted to take a giant solid gold cauldron that had crystals and gems decorated on it and an advanced self-stirring special mechanism attached to it. But Harry told him all he needed was a standard cauldron, with his name engraved on it in solid gold letters. Harry showed Naruto a perfect set of silver scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. But when he thought about it more, the older wizard was certain that Naruto wouldn't want to study Astronomy anytime soon. When they left the store that sold cauldrons and scales, Harry picked up Naruto and placed him on his shoulders again.

They started walking back up the alley to where they first entered it when Harry announced, "The last and most essential thing you require as a student of magic, Naruto, is a magic wand."

"A wand?"

Harry nodded and looked up at the child as he walked, "Yes… It's an essential tool that we wizards use to perform spells. The place we need to go to get one of those would have been Ollivanders, Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C."

Harry pointed Naruto into the direction of the final shop and the boy felt a swoop of nostalgia swell in his tummy. It felt to him as if he had actually been to this shop before in a dream or a past life, which was the truth. Harry let him down to enter the shop of his own accord. Naruto walked up to it and observed the tall, narrow, and shabby looking store, seeing the peeling gold letters of the name and title Harry announce a moment ago. A number of differently shaped thin rods made of wood rested upon various cushions in the dusty window display. If felt so familiar to him as the child turned to the door of the shop and entered, tingling a small bell when he walked in. He stood mesmerized by the sight of this place from the inside. The simulated version of the original Ollivanders was almost exactly the same when Harry received the phoenix feather wand when he was eleven. Naruto looked up again to see the store was rather tiny and empty with the exception of a single spindly chair rested against the counter, but it was also unimaginably tall. There sat thousands of long and narrow boxes containing wands that were piled up right up to the ceiling that went up for hundreds of thousands of feet into the air.

Harry reappeared behind the counter and allowed Naruto to stand on the chair to try to be at the same level as him.

"In my time during purgatory, I studied many different things about magic; one of them being wandlore. I learned how to make them and how they functioned as essential tools for a wizard or witch... While you were busy at the Ninja Academy, I took the time to start crafting an assembly of wands for you to try out in the hopes that I created the one that would be forever yours in the mindscape, Naruto…"

The child hesitated, unsure if this was like a test, "W-What do I do now?"

Harry walked around the counter with a special tape measurement in his hand, "Just stand still. I have to take a few measurements. Which arm do you use to write with?"

He answered him, "I'm right-handed, Nii-san…"

"Hold out your right arm, then," he commanded and then said as took the tape, "Good! Here we go!"

He measured Naruto from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and around his head, "Aaaaaaaaaand… Done!"

Harry removed the tape measure and tossed it aside. He then retreated to a collection of boxed wands behind the counter and all around the walls before he placed them down on the counter. Harry took the first box and pulled out a warped, bent, zigzag shaped wand and offered it to Naruto, who stared at the wand with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

(A/N: Let's try something different: See if you can guess whom these next two famous wands belonged to? Only a true Harry Potter fan would know whom these wands belonged to.)

"How about we start with this one, Naruto? This is made of chestnut and unicorn hair. Nine-and-a-half inches. Brittle."

Naruto slowly took the wand from him and gripped it firmly by the handle. He felt very uneasy about holding the wand, feeling as if he shouldn't be holding it at all. The child simply stood there on top of the chair and waited for his older brother or the wand to do something for him. Harry noticed the hesitation and started instructing Naruto.

"Focus some of your magic into the wand and give it a wave." he said.

To which Naruto replied pitifully, "But I don't know how…"

Harry instructed Naruto on how to channel his magic, which were not so different from how shinobi focused their chakra. Naruto had basic knowledge on how to focus his chakra when Sarutobi taught him before he entered the Ninja Academy. Once the instructions sunk into child's head, he focused on the difference between his magic and chakra; he imagined his magic as if it were the color green while he imagined his chakra to be blue and focused his green magic into the wand and then he waved it. But as soon as he had done so, a violent, purple blast of energy erupted from the end of the wand and bounced off the walls. Boxes of other wands flew out from the shelves while others exploded out of their boxes. Naruto threw his arms over his head and screamed in shock. Once the boxes stopped falling and the spell he cast vanished, Naruto dropped the wand onto the counter and recoiled from it.

The older wizard laughed a little and discarded the brittle wand, "No problem, we'll find the right one for you…"

He selected the next wand on the counter and offered it to a hesitant Naruto. The wand offered to him was made of a dark brown wood and had a slight bend to it, making it appear somewhat like a bird's talon or an old wicked witch's finger.

"Walnut and dragon heartstring, twelve and three-quarter inches… Inflexible and unyielding… Not a favorite of mine."

Naruto took the curved wand and it felt the same as the other one did. He soon repeated the same exercise as before and waved the wand while he prepared for the worst. And like it did before, another blast of magic shot out but hit a potted plant behind Harry. The older wizard turned around and watched as the vines of the unknown plant shot out from the pot and move like legs and arms. The potted creature hopped off the wall and ran after the two wizards to attack them

"WHOA!" the older of the two shouted, "Get back! BACK!"

Naruto jumped off the chair in terror as Harry stomped on the potted plant when it fell to the floor and blasted it with his wand until it remains were motionless. Soon after, Naruto removed himself from behind the other side of the counter and threw out the walnut wand, afraid to chose another one.

"It's fine now, Naruto," said the older wizard when he finished his examination of the remains of the creature, "Not bad for a first curse, Naruto!"

The blonde child quivered as he found the experience to be anything but funny. But once the dust had settled, Harry went back to giving Naruto a number of different wands from the shelves and stacked them onto the counter. He tried and tried again with each new wand given to him, but none of them seemed to appeal to him or functioned well. The amount of used wands piled into a stack that filled an entire chair in the corner of the room. After the two of them went through a dozen more wands, Harry took one of the final wands from his selection and opened the box to find, a wand that looked similar to his own, but the wand look more like Ron's wand, the wood was also a significantly lighter shade, almost yellowish, and about fourteen inches.

Harry raised an eyebrow when he remembered when he constructed this wand, "I think this is one of the last wands I created, Little one. This one is made of ivy and phoenix feather, fourteen and a half inches. Flexible. I think this one could be ideal for charm work and useful in duels."

The child took the wand from his new master and when he did, he felt a sudden warmth in his fingers unlike anything he had felt before. He raised the wand above his head, bringing it back down in a swish through the air while a stream of red and golden sparks shot out from the end like a stream of fireworks, throwing dancing spots of light onto the walls. Harry let out a whoop of victory and clapped his hands in congratulations. Naruto stared at his wand in wonder and amazement, his beautiful blue eyes sparkling with joy and happiness. He gripped it tighter in his small fist while he felt the magical flow of his blood pump powerfully for the first time under his control, "Wow…"

Naruto smiled as he held his wand but then asked, "How come this didn't happen earlier?"

"The wand chooses the wizard, Naruto." he smirked.

The shorter wizard was confused, "Huh?"

Harry summoned his own wand and twirled it in his hand, "In the known history of wandlore, wandmakers made wands that would eventually _choose_ their wielders. It was never made clear why that has been so, but wands have been able to do that… You seem to have a natural affinity towards the properties of the wand you hold in your hand now; the wood it's made of, the core inside it, and the length as well… The same thing happened with me when I received this wand… Granted, this is a replica of the wand I had before…"

Naruto tried to take in as much as he could, the information about magic and wands being a million times easier to understand than a lecture at the Ninja Academy.

"Well, with that done…" the older wizard motioned towards the door hidden between stacks of boxed wands, "It's time to start hitting the books, but don't worry, they won't hit back… much."

The blonde-haired wizard followed suit towards the door with wand in hand and Harry opened the door and was almost blinded as he walked onwards. Once his vision cleared up, Naruto looked around to observe a new environment. He seemed to be inside a gigantic church or cathedral. The new environment was built out from stone and wood, lined with tapestries and paintings whose characters moved inside their portraits. The chambers were lit with large iron torches, whose light shined upon giant suits of armor standing on either side of the entrance he had walked through. Naruto stood back from them fearfully but then he stopped when he heard his own footsteps. He looked down and realized his feet were dressed in the most comfortable black shoes he had ever worn with black socks. He then noticed that he also wore grey trousers, a plain white shirt, with a black tie decorated with a golden "H" over a unique coat of arms featuring a lion, badger, raven, and snake, and he also wore a knitted v-neck sweater. And to complete the uniform, he wore a black robe that went down to his feet.

Naruto felt so warm and comfortable in these clothes, too used to the secondhand clothes he was forced to wear. This new school uniform felt like clothes fit for a prince in comparison. While he wasted time to admire his new clothes, Naruto failed to notice Harry arrive before the spiral staircase that led to the door into a classroom.

"You seem to like the new uniform, Little one," he said with a smile.

Naruto bounced in surprise and looked to his older brother and ran over to him and listened, as he was certain class was soon to start.

"It's a bit much, but I couldn't resist. You look so cute in that whittle uniform!" he teased and soon Naruto crossed his arms and pouted while he blushed, "Now we are ready to start our first lessons. But before we do that, there is one more thing I was a little bit curious about… Would you like to be sorted into one of the four Houses?"

The child raised his hand as if he were in school and asked, "What's a House? Is that like a home?"

"Sort of," he said before he crouched down lower and explained, "You see, when a student is admitted into Hogwarts, that student is sorted into one of the four school Houses. The Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. You're sorted into a house based on what qualities you share with one of those four. Gryffindor students have qualities of courage, bravery and chivalry. Hufflepuff House values hard work, patience, and fairness. Ravenclaw House values wit, intelligence, and wisdom. And the Slytherin students tend to be clever, ambitious, and traditional… but a whole lot of Dark wizards and witches were born from that House… some of them took traditionalism a little bit too far when we look back on it."

Naruto asked, "What House were you in, Nii-san?"

"I was in Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart." he smiled.

Naruto sighed after hearing that. When he took a second to look back, Naruto remembered how he had lack self-confidence and was often considered a coward unless he stood behind someone much stronger. He did work hard in order to catch up with his class and he believed everyone deserved a fair chance, but he wasn't the most patient person in the world. But the blonde wizard thought he applied more towards the second Hogwarts House more than the others.

He said out loud, "I bet I'm in Hufflepuff."

{{_The Sorting by John Williams_}}

Harry held onto Naruto's shoulder and reassured him with an enthusiastic grin, "Well, we won't know until we see! Let's find us a smart hat and see which one it is? No matter which one it is, I bet you'll be brilliant no matter what!"

The wizard led the child up the spiral staircase while Naruto zoned out and his whole world seemed to turn dark. He blinked a few times as the two wizards entered the door and Naruto hallucinated. He was in a classroom, but in his point of view, he had entered the Great Hall of Hogwarts. He was in the middle of a crowd of students that resembled his classmates from the Ninja Academy, all of them dressed in Hogwarts uniforms. Naruto walked with the other students passed the tables lined with older students that wore black hats and wore uniforms with the insides lined with red, gold, yellow, black, blue, silver, and green. Naruto looked up and noticed the candles that hovered over them and the ceiling viewed the magnificent nighttime sky. The moon shined into the Great Hall as the skies with lined with stars and swirls of clouds. Naruto followed the other new students to the end of the hall before the table of the Headmaster and staff. Harry led the students and presented an old, patched, frayed, and extremely old wizard's hat.

The older wizard stood next to the stool and raised the tattered old hat while he looked directly at Naruto, "Once you're ready, I will place the Sorting Hat on your head and it will sort you into one of the four Houses… So how about it, Naruto?"

Naruto was nervous and scared as he felt the stares of the other new students, and the rest of the hall. He continued forth and hesitated as he approached the stool and climbed it. Naruto sat down as the torches and candles in the Great Hall died down and the chamber became filled with darkness and blocked out the other students from view. Harry placed the hat down onto Naruto's head and the old hat dropped down over his eyes. Naruto waited as he stared at the dark inside of the tattered old hat, unsure of what was going to happen next, but for some odd reason this entire experience was familiar to him.

"Hmm," said a voice in his ear and made him jump, "A difficult choice this child… What House should this he be placed in, I wonder?"

Naruto gripped his seat tightly as the hat whispered to him, "You lack the ambition to be in Slytherin… Courage is not your strongest suit either… Your wisdom is limited… far too limited to be in Ravenclaw… But what about Hufflepuff? Yes, that doesn't seem too bad at all… However… You have doubts? You don't think it's for the best? You can't even make a decision… If that's the case… come back to me later when you're actually ready to make a choice for yourself for once, you coward…"

After that, the hat spoke no more. Naruto shook his head to make it talk and choose one of Houses for him, but it never answered. His face turned red and he could have cried as he removed the hat from his head and saw the students around him whisper. Ashamed at his cowardice and self-doubt, Naruto handed the hat back to his confused older brother and looked down at his shoes as he tried not to break down in tears.

"Nothings happening, Nii-san…" he said in a weak voice, "It won't choose a House for me…"

Harry removed the hat from Naruto's hands and flicked at it. He started shaking it too and it refused to move or respond to him. He then looked inside of the hat, fitting his whole head into it.

"What's going on in there? Hello!" he shouted inside of it.

The wizard removed the hat from his head and tried to examine the outside. The smaller of the two wizards waited on the stool when Harry noticed a tear about to stream down Naruto's cheek. He frowned at the child in sadness and knelt down closer to him as he offered words of encouragement and treated Naruto, less like his little brother and acted as if he were speaking to his own son, "The hat doesn't seem to want to place you in a House… but maybe you need to focus more on what it is that you desire most out of the four Houses… Look deep inside and find the qualities, the traits you feel you need bring out more. Give it one more go, but this time look deeper and find what it is you feel you need to bring out the most… Keep in mind that that the Sorting Hat always takes your choice into account..."

Naruto nodded and sat down with a straighter back while he saw the hundreds of students stare at him again. When the Sorting Hat covered his eyes once again, he took Harry's advice and tried to look deep inside and find the qualities he lacked to most, what he believed would help him in his future and shape him into the man he would one day become. Nothing happened for what felt like an eternity, but then that same voice returned.

"You have almost unlimited potential… You have so much power… so much magic and something else, something very different, but also powerful hidden within… Slytherin seems like a good place to start… if you were to apply these gifts, harness them, you could become something absolutely extraordinary… You could use a little more ambition… With Slytherin's ambition and cleverness, you could teach those rotten villagers a lesson… With enough power, you could make them fear you and force them to respect you with your power and influence… Use your ambition to become powerful and you could go so far as to rule this entire country… How about it?"

After he heard that, the child stared out as he wondered if he should be sorted into Slytherin. But then he shook his head as he imagined the villagers shivering in fear of him, the exact same way he did whenever he was scared and recoiled.

'_NO,_' he shouted in his head,'_I don't wanna be feared! I don't wanna be in stinky Slytherin!_'

"Are you sure?" the hat asked.

Naruto answered with a strong nod of his head and pouted, '_YES!_'

"Hufflepuff seemed promising… You are very loyal to your village and it's leader… You believe in fairness, work hard, and you show no desire to make yourself anymore than you feel you need to be… You are content and prefer to fit in with everyone else rather than stand out and become singled out… Hufflepuff values the more modest students, accepting the unexceptional witches and wizards…"

The blonde-haired child started to smile, as his decision seemed clear to him. But then he hesitated as he imagined how he would fair out in the future. He would have fit in well with other shinobi and kunoichi, but never once stood out, never showed his comrades the hidden potential the Sorting Hat mentioned. Naruto looked down and started to have doubts like he did before.

"Again?" the hat asked, "Then what is it? What is it that you desire the most? What is your greatest desire?"

Naruto tried to think, but soon he was reminded of his grandfather, Sarutobi. He remembered how the old man often smiled at him and was nice to him. And then he remembered how much he was respected by everyone in the village. And that's when Naruto realized that's what he desired the most; he wanted to be accepted and he wanted everyone in the village to treat him with respect and acknowledge him as the strongest and most reliable person in the village. He wanted to protect people he cared about from bad guys, and earn the praise and attention he had lacked throughout his childhood. But the real problem about that desire was that Naruto was a coward; he had little to no backbone and often submitted to whoever was in charge without question. He showed no fighting spirit, no defiance, no nerve, and no particularly strong will of his own. And he was sick of it. That's what Naruto wanted the most, what he felt he needed more than anything if he wanted to make his dream a reality.

'_I don't wanna be afraid anymore! I wanna be brave and strong like Nii-san! I wanna become the Hokage! I WANT TO BE LIKE HIRUZEN SARUTOBI! I WILL BECOME THE NEXT HOKAGE! DATTEBAYO!_'

The Sorting Hat remained silent and motionless for several moments until Naruto calmed down, but his face remained hardened and determined.

The hat then said, "Hmmmm… Well if you're sure… better be... GRYFFINDOR!"

Naruto heard the hat shout out the name of his Hogwarts House, he heard the Great Hall echo with applause but then soon faded out of his mind as the chamber turned into a classroom. Harry removed the hat from Naruto's head and smiled before he hugged the child, and Naruto laughed and felt more confident now that he was in the same House as his older brother.

* * *

><p>After he tossed aside the old hat, Harry started his first lesson of Naruto's magical education. He stuck to his original plan and started teaching the boy the most difficult branch of magic he could have ever hoped to have learned back when he was still alive and never succeeded until after he had died.<p>

Occlumency.

Harry had Naruto sit down in a chair while he stood with his wand in hand. The older wizard brandished his wand and started explaining how Occlumency worked and why it was important.

"The first bit of magic that I'm going to teach will greatly help you in shielding yourself from the villagers."

"I thought we were gonna learn how to cast magic spells!" the child whined.

The older wizard said back, "Don't complain. This magic will help you to survive out there when I'm not there to help… After looking through your memories, I realized that there are shinobi out there that have the ability to release an energy inside their bodies called killer-intent, which is a manifestation of a person's desire to kill someone to either intimidate their enemies, torture them with fear, or paralyze them long enough to finish them off… In order to shield you from any future attacks similar to that, I will teach you how to use Occlumency. When it's used properly, this magic will shield your mind from any possible access or influence… In these lessons, I'm going to attempt to penetrate your mind, what you need to do is resist as best as you can."

"How do I do that, Nii-san?" the blonde child asked as he raised his hand.

Harry answered, "It won't be easy… But you will need to clear your mind of all emotion and literally push me out when I start to invade," he walked closer to Naruto and crouched down to his level and tried to explain as best he could, "To help train you properly, I'm going to penetrate your mind using a powerful form magic called Legilimency… It's like getting inside your head... even though technically we already are inside your head now, heh!"

Naruto didn't laugh or even crack a smile. The idea of someone able to get inside of his head using a spell was a scary thought. Seeing the look of hesitation on his little brother's face, Harry thought it best to reassure Naruto and limit himself on how deep he would venture into Naruto's past thoughts and memories. He didn't have Snape give him this kind of mercy when he was fifteen. The former teacher forced Harry into reliving his most private thoughts and memories and made him re-experience some of the most horrific moments of his life in a matter that brought him both emotional and physical pain. He would not subject a child as young as Naruto into the same methods that Snape forced onto him. He would use his own methods to teach this child.

"I won't go in too deep, though, Naruto… I don't want to have to force you to relive your worst nightmares or any bad memories… What you need to do is prevent me from going in any further and try to push me out… Do you think that you're up to it?"

Naruto felt a little bit better and beamed in a more confident manner, "Yep!"

Harry frowned at the confidence and enthusiasm Naruto showed. While he was pleased to see him become more confident, he feared Naruto's emotional state would make it difficult for him to master Occlumency. He needed to teach him to control his emotions as best he could, otherwise the blonde wizard could fail to do it, even on a most basic level.

The older wizard said, "That's not what I'm looking for out of you, Naruto… You can't allow yourself to show or feel any of your true thoughts or emotions otherwise you lose control and leave yourself exposed to the forces that mean to destroy you."

The boy seemed confused and unsure until Harry had him sit down and instructed him, "Close your eyes, Naruto…"

The child did as he was told and listened.

"Clear your mind of all thought… Let go of every emotion you've ever felt…"

Naruto remained silent and didn't move as he tried to erase his emotions.

"Forget about every memory you've ever had and every emotion you've ever felt… Let go of your anger over the villagers, that teacher you told me about, and your classmates… Forget about all of them… Forget about the happiness, sadness, sorrow, and everything you've ever felt… No more hurt… No more pain… No more anger and no sadness or happiness… Just let go of everything and enter the void."

With some hesitation, the child did what he was told. It was extremely difficult to let go of his hatred of Kiba and Daikoku, and letting what few memories he had of happiness and joy because he was dependent on them for hope. Harry looked to Naruto, who still had his eyes closed as he slowly let himself go on an emotional level.

"Are you ready?"

Naruto struggled as he released his hatred and his joy. But slowly and surely, he opened his eyes, and his older brother noticed how his blue eyes lacked the shine he was familiar with. His eyes were darker, blank, and unreadable. If it weren't for the color of Naruto's face, his heartbeat, and the movement in his chest, he would think Naruto was dead. He couldn't read his emotions as he stared out and answered his new teacher.

"I am." the child answered with a lack of tone in his voice.

Then, without hesitation, Harry aimed his wand at Naruto's forehead and remembered the incantation that Snape used on him each time he came down to his office dungeon during their private lessons.

"_Legilimens!_"

* * *

><p>{{<em>Story Book by Jeremy Soule<em>}}

That first night of magical lessons ended after Naruto and Harry had practiced Occlumency for hours on end. By the end of the first night of lessons, the blonde-haired child was exhausted and practically on his knees, using his hands to hold himself up after he had fallen from his chair. The older wizard lowered his wand and dropped it down on his desk, as he stared at the exhausted child on the floor in sheer disbelief. Harry was beyond impressed with how fast Naruto learned. It should have been impossible for someone as young as him to be able to progress this far into training.

Naruto's first attempt to use Occlumency was a complete failure, as Harry never met resistance as he ventured into his memories. He decided to stop snooping when he knew he was close to approaching the most recent of Naruto's public humiliations. The two of them practiced the exercise countless times until Naruto was able to get a hang of it, after about the fiftieth time. It wasn't until then was Naruto able to halt Harry's search into his mind. When the older wizard used the same spell over and over again, it felt as if Naruto's were truly fighting back and he wasn't able to see more of Naruto innermost thoughts and memories. After a few more hours, Naruto was able to cast Harry out of his mind, but after the older wizard searched around his mind for a solid five minutes.

Throughout their lessons, Harry continuously asked if Naruto had enough, but the small child insisted to continue and refused to stop until he was able to show more resistance or at least slow down Harry's efforts. But when Naruto almost fainted from exhausted was when the older wizard declared their first lesson was over. Harry walked over and picked up Naruto from the floor and into the first chair he could find in his classroom.

Harry simply could not believe Naruto could do as much as he did and at such a remarkable age. He assumed Naruto was able to learn Occlumency easier than most wizards as a result of him being a shinobi. But it seemed Naruto leaned more towards the magical arts than ninjutsu. While Naruto showed a lot of promise in Occlumency, he still had a lot more practice ahead of him before he was able to show true talent with it.

"I think you've had enough for tonight, Little one…"

Naruto was about to protest but stopped as he let his head fall into his arms. Harry chuckled and carried him away from the classroom and back into the bedroom area. He laid the child down to rest, closing the door to the classroom and dismissing it out of existence until tomorrow. Harry waved a hand over Naruto and made his school uniform vanish and become replaced with his original clothes. The child stirred and then woke up from his spell of exhaustion. He looked up at Harry who started tucking him into bed.

"We're done then, Nii-san?" he asked.

The older wizard nodded, "Yes, for now... That's more than enough for our first lesson. Tomorrow night, we'll continue where we left off and get started on the rest of the standard curriculum… Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions sounds like a good place to start," he finished tucking in his little brother and said, "But make sure to focus on your schoolwork at the Ninja Academy until bedtime tomorrow night."

Harry was about to use a charm on Naruto to help him return to the real world through sleep but then Naruto reached out to him and tugged at his sleeve of his robes. Harry looked down at the round, youthful face and saw Naruto was still very much awake but he wanted to ask something.

"Harry?" he asked.

He looked concerned, "Hmm?"

Naruto retreated deeper into the bed and looked away from Harry as if something were bothering or embarrassing him.

"Would you mind… well… if it isn't a big deal… C-Could you please read me a bedtime story?" the small child trailed off before his eyes turned glassy and asked again in stutter, "P-Please?"

Harry felt his heart break in two when he heard that request. He had searched his memories thoroughly but he couldn't recall the last time anyone ever read a story to him to help get him to sleep. It was as if he and Naruto were both deprived of one of the most simple of childhood experiences. But Harry wouldn't just stand aside and let him leave this place without getting a taste of what both of them deserved to have.

He cracked a warm smile and said, "I would be delighted to, Naruto…"

The older wizard waved his hand towards a wall across from the bedroom and made a tall book shelve appear, filled to the brim with books of all shapes, sizes, and languages, all of them containing stories for children. Harry flicked his fingers and a single book levitated and flew to his hand. He caught the small green book in his hand effortlessly and opened it up to the first page.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard… Let's start out with… The Wizard and the Hopping Pot!"

Naruto smiled gleefully and held up the covers up to his chin, gripping them tightly in anticipation while he listened to a bedtime story. Harry smiled while he started reading this tale for the first time and greatly enjoyed it. He felt grateful that it was the first story he was going to be telling Naruto in the whole collection that was to come. Grateful because through this story, Harry was beginning to teach the young child how to understand and create an acceptance and tolerance for Muggles, in other words, learn how to understand and tolerate the villagers of Konoha. This would help to prevent Naruto from risking trailing down a dark path with his gifted powers, should he uncover the truth behind the fusion of their souls.

Harry accurately imitated the voices of the characters and made Naruto laugh while he pretended to be the Muggle-hating son in the tale and let Naruto interact with the tale by showing him the pictures and letting him point out what part of the story that were being illustrated. By the end of the tale, the boy slowly but surely fell sound-asleep and vanished out of thin air like a ghost, being sent back into the world of the living to sleep with a warm smile upon his angelus face.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued…<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Now this chapter is actually cut off from one whole entire chapter I originally intended to post, but due to it's incredible length, I decided to pull it and cut it into two parts, which I have done before when I originally posted the Dark Path of Shinobi.<strong>

**Naruto: SYMBOLISM!**

**Kvsyaoran: Uuuuhhh… Yeah. Let's go for that.**

**Harry: It thought it was very sweet how you made me recreate Diagon Alley just for Naruto-kun.**

**Kvsyaoran: Really? Because I thought I should try to stay more original than just making it look like Konoha.**

**Naruto: What would you have gone with then?**

**Kvsyaoran: I would have… Uh… Well… I don't really know, then…**

**Harry: Bat credit card.**

**Kvsyaoran: A BAT CREDIT-CARD, YOU BASTARDS! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!**

**Naruto: We'll be back once Kvsyaoran has calmed down…**

**Leave behind a Review! Keep it nice, please! :)**


	4. The Thief

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's thoughts/other people's thoughts

'_**Blah**_': Harry talking to Naruto

* * *

><p><strong>STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID! DAMN YOU JOEL SCHUMACHER! YOU SILLY SOD!<strong>

**(An hour's silence later)**

**Naruto: You ok, now?**

**Kvsyaoran: I think I am…**

**N: Good, because in your anger, you knocked Azeroth44 and Onyxia unconscious. They're kind of dead right over there...**

**(Kvsyaoran looks up to see Onyxia and Azeroth44 with X's in their eyes)**

**K: Oh… oops…**

**N: Well what the hell are we supposed to do for introductions now?**

**K: I dunno… How about it's just you and me until Harry decides to join in?**

**N: Works all right with me. So what do you want to talk about and somehow tie our audience into it?**

**K: Hrmmmmm… I have an idea!**

**N: What? What is it?**

**K: Die Hard 2.**

**N: The movie?**

**K: Yeah. Just watched it last night. Something about that movie reminds me of the third Alien movie.**

**N: Which alien movie?**

**K: The ones that had Sigourney Weaver in them. I didn't really enjoy the third Alien movie as much as I enjoyed the first two. But I still liked it. The thing I wanna bring up is that for some reason, Die Hard 2 reminds me of Alien 3 so much, that I can somehow mistaken one for the other once or twice.**

**N: Oh THOSE movies! Those are good… And yeah, when you think about it, they do look kind of familiar when it comes to the lighting and atmosphere of the films. Maybe they have the same screenplay or same director or something. What about you audience? Do you think those movies kinda look alike? If so, why?**

**K: (Smiles) Isn't it GREAT to have a normal conversation for once?**

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto,**

**Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros.**

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><p>Chapter 4: The Thief<p>

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><p>About one week later, after another series of endless classes at the Ninja Academy, Naruto returned to his apartment, eager to return to the mindscape and start his very first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson.<p>

Harry had already given him his first Potions lesson, which he thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. Naruto had to admit that creating a potion, such as a Cure for Boils, was complicated and difficult, but he managed to learn how to brew it and even memorized the instructions when he remembered what would happen if he added a certain ingredient, what direction to stir in, and what temperature he had to switch it to in order to make it bubble and turn a different color until the brew was done. Potions turned out to be a useful subject for Naruto to learn, as it could open him to a career as a medical-nin. He could heal the sick and treat wounded soldiers with specially crafted potions, using ingredients from plants that were somewhat parallel to that of the old wizarding world.

What Naruto looked forward to the most in his upcoming lesson, was that he was finally going to get to learn his first real magical spells.

He breezed through his front door and locked it up securely before he retreated to his small bedroom. He fell onto his mattress and dozed off as fast as he could. This was the only method he knew how to return to Harry's chambers, until he learned how to focus inwardly on a regular basis.

{{_Playful 2 by Jeremy Soule_}}

When he fell asleep, he woke up inside of the mindscape under the sheets of his older brother's bed. He removed himself from the bed and found he was back in his school uniform. He didn't like to wear the robe that often, so he tossed it and left it on the bed. He soon walked out of the bedroom and found the wooden door he knew led to his classroom. He went inside to find that Harry had reconfigured it again and made it resemble his DADA classroom at Hogwarts. Naruto ran headfirst and sat down in one of the front row seats. He waited a short while before Harry arrived from his office, hidden somewhere else in the mindscape. The older wizard walked in with a handful of books and his lesson plan. He walked around all of the obstacles that stood in his path while he simultaneously read out of a short, white-covered book that had the name Graham Greene on it. He placed the books tucked in his arms down and he sighed as he read a passage from the book aloud.

"_It was as though this plan had been with him all his life… pondered through the seasons… now in his fifteenth year, crystallized with the pain of puberty…_"

Harry raised one of his eyebrows and pondered his own fifteenth year and commented on the passage he read out loud, "Life's a bitch, innit?"

Naruto, while he had no idea what his older brother had said, giggled when he heard him swear. The older wizard smiled at Naruto as he put his book down on his teachers' desk.

"But we're not here to talk about English literature. We're here to learn about Defense Against the Dark Arts; one of the most important classes we'll have while we study magic. This is a class dedicated to learning how to defend you from Dark Creatures and the Dark Arts. In this class, I will teach you how to combat the possible dangers you could encounter out there in the real world. I will also teach you defensive and offensive spells, charms, curses, hexes, and jinxes… Granted, I doubt we will ever confront other witches, wizards, werewolves, or other magical beasts and terrors in the real world. But it would be wise to know what to do when confronted with danger."

Naruto found his wand hidden in his pocket and gripped it tightly with anticipation.

Harry smiled at Naruto's enthusiasm, "In this class… You will also learn to counteract the Dark Arts, and protect yourself from any dangerous people or creatures, should you run into them… I have to train you so that way you're prepared for whatever's out there waiting to attack."

The enthusiastic blonde-haired lad remained planted in his seat, seated at the edge as he shook and shivered. His excitement was made more obvious as the end of his wand released red sparks. Harry smiled and let his own wand slide out from the sleeve of his robes before grasped it. He stood back a few feet from the desk and got started with his practical lesson.

"The first spell I'm going to teach you is for beginners. But bare with me on this; it's a nice place for you to start."

Harry flicked his other hand and made a wooden column emerge from the floor. The column was thick and sturdy with a brass hinge on it to make it fall back and then stand up straight. On the top of the column was a large and round practice target, durable enough to be blasted with various spells.

"This first spell is called a Knockback Jinx. A simple spell that 'knocks-back' whatever its aim at."

Harry held his wand and gathered his magic to make the end of his wand shine blue. The force he summoned then caused the end of his wand to turn orange before he threw his arm forward and annunciated the incantation.

He cried out, "_Flipendo!_"

And a concentrated blue blast erupted from Harry's wand and hit the target, knocking it back to hit the floor. The wizard looked down at the target and saw he had left behind a small scorch mark and a noticeable dent on the surface. Naruto gasped at the spell and leaped out of his seat, unable to contain his excitement.

"I wanna do it! I wanna do it now!" he cheered.

Harry calmed the child as best he could when Naruto started to bounce on his feet. He looked back at the target and flicked his wand to make it reset itself for Naruto's first turn at magic. The older wizard instructed the child how to focus his magic and use a spell but made sure to remind Naruto to aim, told him not to flourish his wand too much, make sure he didn't focus too much magic, and reminded him to never throw his wand like a shuriken.

Once the instructions were drilled into his head, Naruto held his arm back and focused his own magic. The end of his own wand shined blue, like it did with Harry, then it turned orange. Naruto continued to hold it until the end of his ivy wand turned scarlet. But before his older brother to stop him, Naruto aimed at the target and annunciated the incantation.

The cried out in a loud voice, "_Flipendo!_"

The spell shot out from his wand like a red bullet only to come right back at Naruto and hit him square in the chest. The toddler was thrown off his feet; into the air before he fell down on his back ten feet from where he stood. Harry came to the rescue and helped Naruto back on his feet and patted his back as it seemed the child had trouble breathing. The older wizard dusted him off while Naruto coughed and looked to Harry for what he had done wrong.

"What was that all about, Nii-san?!" he asked.

Harry rubbed the back of his head and explained, "You charged too much magic into your wand, little one. What happened was called a rebound. Make sure not to focus too much magic this time. Ok?"

Naruto nodded and returned to the target mechanism to try once more. The blonde-haired child gathered magic into his wand until the end of it turned blue. Once he was sure he didn't use too much, like the first time, he threw his arm out cried out.

He shouted, "_Flipendo!_"

And a jet of light almost identical to Harry's example shot out from his wand and slammed into the target. The mechanism was almost broken from the blast and left a far more noticeable dent on the target. Harry raised his brow and smiled with a soft laugh as he clapped his hands in congratulations.

"You did it! Good job, Naruto!"

Naruto blushed as he smiled and hid his hands behind his back. He was not used to praise for his abilities and took it with some humbleness as he looked down at his feet.

The older wizard then smirked as he clicked his fingers, "Now let's see if you can hit a moving target this time!"

The blonde-haired boy whined.

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><p>For the rest of the week, Naruto was forced to return to the real world and listened to a bunch of boring lectures as his dreadful teacher continued to make him feel unwelcome and lonesome. While Naruto looked forward to his return to the mindscape after his classes, he tried to be more sociable with the other students. Naruto tried to make new friends, but most of the children were about as cruel as their parents and never invited him to play with them. Harry encouraged Naruto to make friends and be nice to the other students in order to have a normal childhood. But each time he tried, Naruto's kindness was returned with cruel name-calling and when he didn't leave, the other students would either turn their backs on him or threw rocks and erasers at him until he ran.<p>

The one other student in his class that was even nice to him was one of the kunoichi students; a girl with brown hair tied into twin buns. She worked with Naruto a few times in class, but she didn't seem enthusiastic to be his friend. But she was at least fair to him and Naruto was content to at least know at least one person in his class was nice to him.

After school, Naruto saw Kiba and the bullies from his class outside at the base of the oak tree. The little blonde wizard would have loved to sneak after the bullies when he overheard them discuss an afterschool adventure in the forest. Naruto would have liked to use his magic to make a tree branch fall down and scare them, but he knew better and knew his older brother would find out and he didn't want to upset him. So the little blonde wizard carried his rucksack and decided to have some dinner.

Naruto traveled to a ramen bar called, Ichiraku Ramen; it was a small establishment not too far from school or where he lived, that was famous for its delicious ramen noodles and warm atmosphere. It was also home to Naruto's absolute favorite food in the world: ramen.

He entered the ramen bar and his nostrils became filled with the familiar smell of boiled noodles and the scent of the various broths that made his mouth water. Steam rolled out from the kitchen behind the counter and hovered above Naruto's head in a constant cloud of meat-scented warm. The little restaurant was full of life and color and remained one of Naruto's favorite establishments. The blonde child clambered onto one of stools and sat down in anticipation for his meal.

"Oh," the sweet voice of a beautiful waitress sounded from the other side of the counter, full of warmth and kindness that welcomed the child, "Look who it is, dad! Naru-chan's back!"

Naruto beamed at her and said back, "Hi, Ayame!"

The waitress named Ayame had brown hair that flowed down her back, fair skin, and often wore normal clothes with her sleeves rolled back. She also wore a blue apron with a white bandana that held her hair out of her face. She worked at the restaurant with her father who was the chef and owner of the establishment. The Ichiraku's were two of the few civilians in Konoha that never hated Naruto, never turned their back on him, and welcomed him with open arms. Naruto was their best customer, but also their favorite customer and the two of the treated the blonde boy as if he were their distant cousin.

From out of the kitchen, came in a rather tall and somewhat obese chef who seemed to be in their late thirties but looked rather contented and active.

"There he is! What will it be this time, Naruto-kun?" the obese chef asked.

Naruto answered, "One large barbecue pork ramen bowl, please, Teuchi-san!"

The chef named Teuchi smiled and went back to the kitchen to work on what most citizens of Konoha considered a masterpiece of ramen noodles and he announced, "Comin' right up, kiddo!"

Ayame leaned onto the counter in a more relaxed manner than she would show in front of other customers and asked in a kind and curious tone, "Are you sure you can eat that much? That's a lot of ramen for a six year old!"

The blonde child smiled. He could remember when Sarutobi first took him here and bought him his first bowl of ramen. Ever since then, Naruto had been addicted to ramen and had developed an unusual appetite for it; he was able to eat a lot more noodles than most adults could consume before their stomachs were about to burst.

"Uh-huh! I love ramen!" he exclaimed.

Ayame smiled and offered the small child a little kiss on his head before she ruffled his hair and served him some water or milk. Naruto then rambled on about school or talked about some comic book he loved to read while Ayame and Teuchi would nod, not interested in Naruto's obsession over comics but listened in on what he told them about what he was able to learn. Ayame mentioned the success of the ramen bar and Naruto was more than attentive. The two masterful ramen chefs made Naruto feel some hope for the future. He didn't know the exact reason most of Konoha hated him, but he had much less reason to hate them when the Ichiraku's reminded him how nice people could be.

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><p>{{<em>Day by Jeremy Soule<em>}}

After his dinner, Naruto returned home late, exhausted from his classes, ninjutsu practice, and from his efforts to avoid the meaner Konoha citizens. The ramen in his stomach also made him tired, so he hit the sheets and returned to the mindscape while still in his normal clothes. He found the classroom where his brother taught him and discovered he had it redecorated. Harry waited for Naruto as he stood behind his desk. The older wizard read another book (one that Naruto had no hope to understand) while he leaned on his desk with his free hand. Naruto also noticed he had a different outfit on: instead of his suit or his robes, he wore a black shirt and trousers that stuck to his skin, a silver necklace, and a loose red leather belt that swathed around his slim waist that leaned more on one side and made his dark outfit look like one entire article of clothing.

(A/N: Imagine the same outfit the vampire Kamui wore in Tsubasa Chronicle: Tokyo Revelations, minus his red cloak he wore in most of his scenes)

Harry sensed Naruto returned and put the book back down on his desk and draw out his wand to start the lecture.

"Charms is a pretty lovely subject to study when I think about it. You will learn how to enchant an object to behave in a way that is not otherwise normal for that said object. You will learn how to cause something to change color, change the behavior of a creature or even a person, or even learn how to make something fly if you want it to. For this class, we will work on the first charm I feel you should know in case you need to sneak in somewhere while you're on a shinobi mission or whenever you forget to bring your house key with you when you leave for school."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and blushed in frustration and embarrassment at all the times he had forgotten his key and was forced to climb through the bedroom window to get back inside the apartment. Harry went on to lecture about concentration, incantations, and wand movements. He also said that lapses in concentration while charming could result in painful side effects, like Wizard Baruffio, who said 'S' instead of "F" and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest. He warned Naruto about how some charms were so powerful that some could erase a person's memories or hide someone or an entire location from existence. But then he simmered down his lecture with a simple charm to start with.

"The charm I'm going to teach you is called the Unlocking Charm. It will help you unlock doors, locks, and windows that are not protected with magic. You want to be a shinobi, so this charm would be extremely useful for infiltration. You could render even the most advance locks useless with this charm, steal some information, save a kidnapped teammate, the uses in the shinobi world are almost endless."

Naruto looked eager to learn how to use the charm and had drawn out his wand before his mentor even realized it. Harry then levitated a small chest from behind his desk and had it land on Naruto's desk.

The older wizard went on to deliver the instructions, "Simply aim your wand at the lock, use this backwards "S" wrist movement, or a nice little flick, and enunciate the incantation, _Alohomora_. Remember what we discussed last week with enunciation, Naruto. You have to make the incantation clear. It's _Alohomora_."

Naruto did as he was told and practiced the correct movements before he started and made sure he used the correct words before he started. He remembered the first time he used the incorrect words and his spell backfired on him and made antlers grow out from his head. Harry was able to remove them with a counter-curse, even while Naruto cried and sobbed that he would have antlers for the rest of his life.

With that experience used as a motivation to force him to concentrate, the blonde wizard made the correct movements and said in a clear voice, "_Alohomora!_"

Just like that, the old metal lock on the chest clicked and fell with a loud clank on the desk. The chest opened but then inside exploded with colorful confetti and revealed an enchanted noisemaker that screamed into Naruto's face.

"DAHH!" he screamed.

He fell back in his chair and hit the floor with his robes tossed over his head. Naruto hit his head but rubbed out the pain and resisted the tears he wanted to shed. But Harry roared with laughter at Naruto's reaction and the look of shock on his face when the confetti burst out.

Naruto took in an immense breath of air and screamed at his mentor in a comical manner, "NII-SAN!"

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><p>When Naruto returned to school the following week, his class began studying how to use a new ninjutsu called the Henge no Jutsu, also known as the Art of Transformation or the Transformation Jutsu. It allowed the user to change into someone else, an animal, plants, or even inanimate objects. With concentration, a clear mental image of the desired look, and a constant emission of chakra, the shinobi or kunoichi that used it would be impossible to tell the difference from the genuine article.<p>

Naruto thought the technique was incredible and useful but somewhat unreliable when he compared it to Polyjuice Potion. With Polyjuice Potion, he wouldn't have to concentrate or use his chakra and his transformation wouldn't be ruined if he were attacked or harmed. But at the same time, Polyjuice Potion would force the drinker to have the same physical limitations and characteristics of the person the drinker transformed into and for a shinobi that would be a serious problem. But Naruto favored Polyjuice Potion as he found the experiences Harry showed him with the potion to be more adventurous and somewhat humorous.

When Naruto learned how to use the Henge no Jutsu and took the time to practice with it, he realized he had a true talent for transformation. His studies in Charms class had motivated him to concentrate harder in his ninjutsu studies, so he mastered the technique a lot faster than he would have without his magical experiences.

Later on in the week, Naruto and his class were taken outside and Daikoku announced that the class would learn how to use weapons. Naruto was excited to learn how to throw shuriken, as were his classmates. Their overweight teacher showed them how to throw kunai and shuriken and then he decided the students each take a turn with the wooden posts that the older students used at recess.

While Naruto stood in the crowd with his fellow students, he remained quiet and tried to look over the shoulder of one of his classmates that stood in front of him. Naruto was also distracted from the lesson when he noticed Kiba throw him mean looks and smirked at him. Kiba looked like a true menace and tried to intimidate Naruto and make him flinch. He faked him out several times when it looked like he was about to attack him in the middle of the lesson.

"Watch it, Uzumaki," he taunted in a low voice, "Look out! HA-HA!"

Naruto flinched for the fourth time and the wild child snickered as the others students smiled as well and shoved Naruto around. The kunoichi of the class and some of the other students couldn't care less and focused on the lesson. Daikoku went on to lecture his students about how to be safe with weapons when Naruto remembered one of his earliest magical lessons. It was then he decided to turn the tide and use one of his brother's methods to better his situation. Naruto channeled the bullies out as his face turned blank, free of emotion. It was as if an invisible mental shield formed around his head, like a bubble, as Kiba's taunts were muffled to him. Naruto held his mental shield and tried to think about Severing Charms.

{{_Visit to the Zoo by John Williams (Film Version)_}}

When Kiba and the others started to detach themselves from the lesson, the cruel children shoved Naruto around or scare him. But soon noticed his lack of a reaction and how none of their efforts even seem to faze him. Kiba frowned and tried to make him flinch but it didn't work. He then sauntered over to Naruto and shoved him two feet backward. To his amazement, Naruto dusted off his oversized shirt and didn't seem to care. The other children that teased him lost interest and turned back to the lesson. Naruto would have liked to smirk but instead turned back to the lesson and didn't even look at Kiba beside him. Kiba was infuriated at Naruto's behavior, who saw his lack of emotion or concern as an insult, as if he weren't worth the time or effort to care about him. He also saw it was a battle for dominance and it looked like Naruto had won as the dreadful lesson seemed to matter to him a lot more.

"Now! Let's begin with some actual practice," announced Daikoku, and he chose the first student he saw, "Kiba Inuzuka, come here and show us how it's done! Come and demonstrate for us!"

Kiba looked back to his teacher and nodded, but not before he turned back to Naruto and kicked him in the shin. The shorter student felt the hot pain of the blow and cried out before he fell down on his butt. He started to rub the dark bruise on his shin and almost cried as he tried not to shed a tear. Daikoku watched as Naruto whined and seemed amused while the other bullies that taunted him chuckled at Naruto's misfortune. Daikoku never bother to scold Kiba and even smiled at the brat before he offered shuriken for him to use.

"Owwww…" whined Naruto.

He felt tears start to rise and looked at Kiba, as he was about to start his demonstration. But soon, Naruto felt his tears recede and a furious anger started bubbling deep inside of him. The blonde student felt even more furious when their teacher did nothing to punish Kiba for what he did. But he remained fixated on Kiba as he watched him smirk and show off how he held his shuriken. As Kiba was about to throw his shuriken and Daikoku stood at the side, Naruto made a little wish as a curious wind breezed across the field.

When Kiba threw the shuriken at the target, something strange happened: There was a loud clash of metal, the students ducked and screamed, and then there was a loud howl from their overfed teacher. Naruto blinked and broke into a small smile when he saw Kiba's shuriken were sliced and flew out in random directions. None of the other students were harmed as one of the shards zoomed over the students, as Naruto had intended. But several of the shards flew about and struck into Daikoku's buttocks. He had turned around to show off to one of the other teachers that stood outside the field. The students' hysteria quickly turned into fits of laughter as they saw their teacher dance around as he tried to remove shards of metal from his rear.

Naruto, while still on the grass as he tended to his shin, smiled at his accomplishment. The blonde child blended in with his fellow classmates and laughed at their teacher. Across the field, another teacher, a chunin with tan skin and a scar across his nose noticed Daikoku's misfortune and snickered.

Daikoku was able to remove the shards from his bottom after about two minutes and started to scream at Kiba as he silenced the students.

"YOU STUPID LITTLE SHIT! _HOW COULD YOU BE SO CLUMSY AND STUPID?! _YOU EARNED YOURSELF A DETENTION WITH ME AFTER SCHOOL!"

Kiba stammered and then shouted at the teacher, "B-But I didn't mean to do it! IT WASN'T MY FAULT!"

"DON'T YOU EVER YELL AT ME AGAIN, YOU LITTLE BRAT! YOU JUST EARNED YOURSELF ANOTHER DETENTION! YOU THREW THE SHURIKEN, THEREFORE IT'S YOUR FAULT, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"

The wild student flinched at his teacher, but still tried to find an excuse, "But that's not fair! The shuriken were fine when I threw them!"

"EVERYONE! BACK INSIDE! RIGHT NOW! CLASS DISMISSED!"

Daikoku had to leave class to go to the hospital and left his students with one of their other teachers. But as the students marched inside, Naruto continued to giggle about Kiba's misfortune. The wild student noticed Naruto's behavior and suspected he had something to do with the shuriken. But he had no idea how he could have done it. As the students attended the rest of their classes, Kiba was determined to make the rest of Naruto's life miserable.

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><p>After school, Naruto avoided another conflict with Kiba when he was taken to detention and the little blonde wizard skipped down the street and parks merrily as he hummed the Hogwarts school song. He even used his chakra to scale a building and hop from the roofs across Konoha until he found his apartment. He avoided his violent, alcoholic landlord and returned to his humble home before he locked the door and retreated to his bedroom. Once he sat down on his bed, he relaxed and meditated until he returned to the mindscape.<p>

When Naruto arrived, he dashed towards the classroom but found it had been redecorated for the millionth time. Harry was waiting for him as usual, dressed like a teacher with robes. Naruto smiled and dashed towards his older brother to hug him. After their little reunion, Naruto noticed the classroom floor was made of solid stone: a Merlin Circle had been craved into the floor, and a massive wood and metal mechanism was installed. The machine looked like a giant spinning top that was connected to a wooden pole at least a foot in diameter. The device had a target on it that rotated with the mechanism at a slow speed.

Naruto was distracted from the events of his afternoon class and drew out his wand. The device was designed to test how well he could aim at a target that moved. Harry stood aside with his own wand in hand and waved at the mechanism to make it move faster.

"Today, we will be work on Defense Against the Dark Arts! Let us start with a review on how to use the Knockback Jinx with a moving target," he then instructed with enthusiasm, "Wand at the ready, Naruto! Wand at the ready!"

Naruto decided he would tell Harry about his class later, as he aimed his wand at the target and made sure he concentrated, used the correct incantation, and had the intent to perform a powerful Knockback Jinx could.

And he shouted, "_Flipendo!_"

* * *

><p>After about two months since Naruto had first met Harry and took him under his wing, his education had taken a turn for the better, but also for the worse.<p>

Naruto's magical lessons in spells and potions were going well. Already Harry deduced that Naruto was an exceptionally bright student with considerable control over his magical abilities and his chakra as well. If Naruto were a student at Hogwarts, he would have made the pureblood students of his generation pale in comparison with what he could do. His skills as a potioneer were remarkable, as he was able to brew a Boil-Cure Potion without directions from a textbook. What was useful to him in potions was that Naruto would be able to make those same potions in the real world, using plants that had the same properties as magical ingredients.

In DADA, Naruto had a remarkable talent with spells. After his experiences with backfires and rebounds, Naruto's determination to concentrate and not fail his spellwork made him a skilled duelist. His Knockback Jinxes were powerful enough to blast a target clean off the mechanisms or blast a man the size of Daikoku Funeno off his feet. But his skills as a duelist were limited to the number of spells he knew, which was one at the moment. Still, he showed more skill than most witches and wizards his age would have been capable of doing.

Naruto also found a fascination for Herbology, as one of his favorite hobbies included watering plants. He got a firm grasp on the subject and enjoyed studying what magical plants could do. To help simulate the experience of his studies, Harry reshaped the classroom into a greenhouse maze. He had Naruto run through a series of challenges designed to use his skills in other subjects while also learning how to identify, manage, contain, and subdue wild magical plants.

He was also skilled in Charms class, thanks to his enhanced concentration. Naruto was been able to master the Hovering Charm on his second week of studies and also developed a charm of his own invention. He hadn't named it, but it was used to enhance the users' voice until it could rival a mermaid. It didn't have much use other than entertainment, but Harry theorized it could be developed into a hypnotizing charm. But Naruto liked to use it when he was bored while studying in the immense mindscape library.

Transfiguration was a class Naruto had some talent in, but that particular branch of magic unnerved him sometimes. It was one of the most difficult kinds of magic he had ever learned, and he almost cried when his mentor showed him the mathematical formula. But after several weeks he was able to memorize the basic formula and started to learn the most basic forms of transfiguration. It took him nine classes, each of them with a two-hour duration period, to learn how to turn a needle into a match. When Naruto learned about how to turn stones into birds and how to transform animal into water goblets, he started to have second thoughts and thought of the idea as unnatural. He feared that meant he could kill someone or some innocent animal if he turned them into a lifeless object. But he did come around when Harry told him about how Draco Malfoy was transformed into a ferret once, he even showed him in the Pensieve. After he saw Draco was alive, well, and humiliated, he decided to continue his studies.

But as Naruto did well in magical studies, he wasn't as successful with ninjutsu. In truth, his skills as a shinobi were limited. While Naruto had a talent with the Henge no Jutsu, the Body Replacement Jutsu, and was a decent shot with shuriken and kunai thanks to his practice with spellcasting, he knew very little about the history of the shinobi world and was unable to master the Bunshin no Jutsu. Naruto would have been a decent shinobi (an average student) but those two factors made him look a lot worse than he actually was.

Naruto couldn't follow Daikoku's historical lectures as it appeared he didn't even know what he was teaching half the time. Daikoku's lectures missed valuable information and his tests at the end of each week asked questions on what he had left out. The test results devastated Naruto's grades but no one else seemed to have the same problem. Naruto suspected his teacher rigged his tests and let all the other students pass, so he would be left behind.

But the other problem with Naruto's success in ninjutsu was the fact that he was unable to master the Bunshin no Jutsu. It was a genjutsu (illusion) that created a translucent clone of the user that served as a visual distraction. It was supposed to be one of the easiest skills a child in school could perform but Naruto was never able to master somehow. Whenever he tried, his clones looked dead, exhausted, or flailed around until they collapsed and burst into white smoke. This was bad, because if Naruto wasn't able to master the technique and be able to create at least three clones by the end of the school year, he would not be allowed to graduate and have to take the same course all over again.

To make matters worse, Kiba and the other bullies in his class continued to torment Naruto. The blonde wizard tried to concentrate on his lessons and read from the class textbooks but was interrupted all the time. The bullies became persistent as if it were their sworn duty in life to distract Naruto and make fun of him. Harry reminded Naruto to remember their Occlumency lessons to concentrate on his books and use the bullies as practice. But each time a book was thrown at his head, Naruto wanted to use them for target practice instead.

But as it seemed there was no light at the end of the tunnel, Harry did discover a way for him to communicate with Naruto from the mindscape. He was soon able to piggyback on Naruto's senses and observe the outside world from his bedroom. The two wizards learned to contact each other through an unusual method of telepathy. At first Naruto was surprised and relieved to hear his brother's voice in his head, but learned how to communicate back to him in no time. And now Harry was able to guide Naruto more in the real world and be able to keep a watch over him at the same time.

With their new communication established, Harry was able to listen in on lectures and then helped Naruto with his ninjutsu studies on certain nights, explaining the lectures in simpler details. So it was ok even if Naruto fell asleep in class. Some of their usual magical lessons had to be cancelled while Harry did his best to balance out his studies and make sure Naruto learned as much as he could. But he made shinobi history a lot more interesting and even fun to learn whenever he used his magic in the mindscape to reenact famous battles and wars with random objects and wooden effigies.

While he balanced out his lesson plans, Harry was able to learn a lot more about the new world he landed in and even learned basic martial arts when he reviewed one of Naruto's taijutsu classes. Naruto sometimes caught his older brother dressed in a karategi and headband when he turned his classroom into a Japanese fighting dojo and kicked wooden Death Eater effigies, all the while he screamed out each time he landed a solid kick. And each time Naruto caught him, he couldn't help but laugh until he passed out.

But even so, in the near future the two wizards would have find more reliable sources if Naruto was going to have a chance to graduate and have a future.

* * *

><p>A week later, Naruto was seated in class and did his best to listen in on Daikoku's latest lecture.<p>

Often times, he wouldn't have much interest in what his teacher had to talk about or was too tired from his studies the previous night and had his older brother listen to them for him, but this time Daikoku held his interest. His lecture was about a unique shinobi tool called the Cloak of Invisibility. Naruto stared at his teacher when he presented a normal sheet or cloth that had a wooden fence sewn onto it on one side and a brick wall on the other. The blonde-haired wizard was somewhat disappointed but continued to listen in.

The teacher explained, "This is a sheet that allows a shinobi to take an ordinary cloak or cloth and blend it into an environment, almost making you invisible to the human eye. It's on the same principles as using the Henge no Jutsu only you have to transfer your chakra into the desired material."

Naruto heard his older brother comment in a sarcastic tone, '_**That is SO amazing… Do tell me more about the wondrous advancements in Muggle technology.**_'

Naruto then decided to raise his hand for the first time since his first week of school as he remembered one of his favorite stories from Beedle the Bard: the Tale of the Three Brothers. Ever since he first heard that story, he had quickly become obsessed with it. Especially when he found out that the Deathly Hallows were real and that Harry had possession of all three of them at one time when he was still alive. The blonde-haired child even took the middle name of Ignotus when he found out that Harry was a descendant to the original owners of the Hallows. To which the older wizard replied with a surrendering groan and a roll of his eyes.

Daikoku noticed Naruto's raised hand, and frowned in irritation and allowed him to ask his question. Harry noticed this and tried to stop his little brother but he was too late.

'_**Wait! Don't! You'll only be giving them another opportunity, Little one!**_'

"Sensei," the small student cleared his throat and asked, "I wanted to ask if true cloaks of invisibility exist? A cloak that turns the wearer invisible?"

Daikoku looked lost at what the child had asked of him and earned the attention of the entire class, "Huh?"

"Is there a real cloak that can do that? Kinda like real magic?" he asked again to be clear and tried not to sound too delusional.

Daikoku smirked and answered him with, "Yes, Uzumaki, there are such things as invisibility cloaks… And there are also flying horses, magic carpets, fairies, pixie dust, and rainbow farts!"

All of the students in the classroom, with the exception of the kunoichi with the hair buns, laughed at the blonde-haired child. Kiba led the other bullies in the class to boo and hiss at Naruto while Daikoku smiled at acted as if the children were playing a harmless little game. But Naruto wouldn't let his teacher make fun of him and let the other students walk all over him. He felt it was about time to show the reason he wanted to be sorted into Gryffindor House.

He stood from his seat and raised his voice at his teacher,

"Y-Y-You never know!" he stammered and tried to make a stand, "Y-You never know if it's true or not! Y-You can never know if something fantastical exists or not! There's no wa-"

But before he could tell off his teacher, two students in the room threw erasers at Naruto, then crumbled papers, unused pencils and soon Naruto was bombarded and shielded his face as his tormentors forced him to sit back down, as if he were some circus freak. The overweight teacher didn't seem less cruel when he took out a new dunce hat and marched over to Naruto and further humiliated him.

"It's about time you got your head out of the clouds and come back down to earth," he said with a smile, "But each class has to have a dobe!"

Naruto lowered his head and chickened out. He wasn't sure what hurt more: the humiliation in front of the entire class or the fact that he couldn't find the courage to make a stand and stick to it. He tried to hide his face in shame and humiliation, which was made even worse when Daikoku threw the dunce hat on his head. Naruto almost broke down into tears when he couldn't remove it and his face turned red. He tried his best to clear his mind with Occlumency but the laughter kept coming and pelted with more erasers. The little kunoichi with the hair buns tried to shout at the others to leave him alone but remained unheard as Daikoku returned to his desk and let the students ridicule him.

But while this occurred, another homeroom teacher walked by and noticed the injustices in the classroom as the door was opened slightly. He noticed the poor blonde child he had saved at the first week of the semester and frowned in sadness before he scowled at Daikoku. The chunin marched down the hall, determined to have a word with the head instructor about what he saw.

* * *

><p>'<em><strong>I don't want to rub it in, but in all fairness, Naruto; I did warn you not to bother with asking that monster anything.<strong>_'

'_It's ok… You're right, Nii-san... I should have been quiet; I should've looked in the book if I wanted answers… I feel like such an idiot..._'

'_**You're not an idiot, Naruto. You're not the smartest kid in the world either, but you are worth twelve of those people. I said that to Neville when he had trouble with Malfoy in our first year and the same holds true for you too. Don't ever think less of yourself because a bunch of idiots give you a hard time. None of them know you and they are really going to feel like a bunch of idiots when you make something of yourself in the future. And they will wish that they never made fun of you. You just can't let their taunts bother you.**_'

After the incident in the classroom, Naruto bolted into the boy's bathroom where he cried out his humiliation until recess was over. Harry tried to coax his little brother with his voice and reminded him that he was worth twelve of all those people. Afterward, he had to face another class with one of the other teachers as Daikoku cancelled his class again, this time for unknown reasons. But his absence didn't stop Naruto's bullies and other students to call him new, hurtful names under their breath. At lunchtime, he retreated to the park outside the Ninja Academy with his sandwich and soup. He didn't want the other students to find him and make fun of him some more.

All remained uneventful and even a bit dull until Naruto sensed a presence and a large person sat down next to him on the stone bench. Startled, the blonde child flinched and looked to see a tall man, a shinobi. He was rather tan, was built well, he had brown hair that was tied into a neat ponytail and held back with his shinobi headband. But the most noticeable feature about him was the thin scar that ran across his face, over the middle of his nose. All around, he was a handsome man and wore the uniform for shinobi of the chunin rank. In fact, there were a lot of shinobi in Konoha that were attractive and the tan-skinned chunin was one of the more handsome ones.

The chunin-ranked shinobi looked down and had noticed he wasn't alone on the bench.

"Oh! Gomenasai, kiddo! I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized in a strong but soft and warm voice.

Harry saw the man on the bench and was somewhat dumbfounded at how handsome he was. The older wizard wasn't attracted to him, but it couldn't be denied that he had noticed a lot of people in Konoha, both men and women were surprisingly attractive and this tan-skinned man was one of them, who looked slightly similar to the Shodai Hokage's likeness on the Stone Faces. Harry could not hold back the joking comment that followed.

'_**Hot damn! Is this the village of Konoha or the village of the supermodels?!**_'

Naruto blushed and hid his face with his hair, "I-It's ok… It's no one's bench when I think about it…"

The blonde-haired student boy packed away his lunch in his paper bag but remained seated when the young man spoke out to him again.

"You're a new student here, aren't you?" he asked.

Naruto nodded meekly, "Kinda…"

"Sorry about what happened on your first week here. That kid from the Inuzuka clan attacked you, right?" he asked.

The blonde-haired child looked into the man's face and then he recognized him, "Y-You're the teacher that rescued me!"

Naruto left his lunch aside and bowed his head to the teacher over a hundred times as he found the chance to thank the man that could have saved his life.

"Thanks so much! You saved me, mister! Thanks, mister!"

The tan-skinned teacher rubbed the back of his head and chuckled as he blushed out of a small amount of embarrassment, "Heh! Yeah... It was no trouble, kid. Honest."

There was a silence in between the two of them until the man remembered what he saw Daikoku do to the innocent child beside him. He had known Daikoku since he started to work at the school had to listen to him once in a while because he had worked there ever since he was a kid. The new teacher disliked Daikoku's methods and often threw aside all of the so-called advice he had to offer and used his own methods and did what was best for all of his students.

"You're teacher is Daikoku-sensei, right?" the man asked.

Naruto nodded to him and answered, "I hate him…"

"I saw what he did during class today. I was noticed it after I finished a lecture with another class I had… and what he did was wrong…" the man said with a stern tone and wanted to help this kid feel better after what he saw.

The child asked him, "Is he allowed to do that to students?"

"No, he isn't," the man answered, "No real teacher should ever be allowed to do that to their students. You asked a question and he let the other kids walk all over you like that. That man deserves to be fired for what he did. But don't tell him that and risk getting in trouble…"

The child sounded a little bit bold when he said, "I wish I could tell him that…"

"Heh," the man chuckled, "You seem like a nice kid and don't deserve to be treated like that… Look, I… I went ahead and reported Daikoku to the head instructor. I couldn't stand aside and let that man get away with what he did. So with some luck, Daikoku shouldn't cause you any more trouble like that. You should be fine from on! You don't have to be worried about him!"

Naruto froze and stared at the man that smiled down at him with warmth in his eyes. He felt warmth in his heart and stomach that calmed his nerves and made the trauma he experienced in class seem irrelevant. The man that caused the entire class to treat him like a freak had been punished and now he realized the reason he cancelled the class. Naruto blushed and couldn't believe how kind, considerate, and warm this man was to him. So nice, he couldn't help but wonder the reason behind his actions

"T-Thanks, mister," he said and then he asked, "But why are you helping me?"

The teacher answered him with a firm smile, "Because I'm a teacher, and I chose this job because I wanted to help next generation… even if they may not be my own students."

Naruto nodded and could have cried right there. But as his mind wandered, he wondered how different his classes would be if Daikoku wasn't going to bother him. But even if he didn't bother him or allow the other students to walk all over him like this afternoon, there was no guarantee the students would forget about what happened. Naruto feared the damage had been done despite this new teacher's best intentions. The tan-skinned teacher noticed the look of doubt on the child's face and felt bad for the child and his lack of confidence. So he reached out to him and made Naruto look at him as the teacher tried his best to make him feel better about his future at the school.

"Hey," he said in a clear, strong, but still warm voice and with a confident smile, "You keep your chin up, kid… because someday things will start working out better for you. Don't ever let life get you down whenever you have a bad day at school or a bunch of idiots give you a hard time."

Naruto stared at the chunin and thought about his older brother at once. It almost felt like he had talked to another older brother or even his own father as the chunin-level shinobi comforted him with his words. Naruto's desire to get revenge on his bullies wasn't as strong as it was. The blonde-haired child decided he would do better and work hard like he should and life should reward him sooner or later.

The tan-skinned chunin man then realized that he didn't even know Naruto's name, so he asked him "Hold on. I didn't quite get your name. What was it again?"

"Oh… my name is Naruto Uzumaki-" he was about to further introduce himself to the teacher, but the lunch bell toned and told all the students to return to their classrooms.

Naruto turned to look at the clock tower and realized how late it was. The child turned frantic and grabbed his uneaten lunch to eat it later when he returned home.

"OH NO! I'll be late for class! Daikoku-sensei won't ridicule me but he can still give me detention if I'm late," the small blonde child dashed as fast as he could but turned back to bow to the teacher one more time and thanked him for their talk as the teacher stared at him in bewilderment at his awkward actions but also when he realized who he was, but Naruto didn't notice, "I'm so sorry I have to leave, but I gotta get to class or I'll be in a lot of trouble! Thank you so much for everything, sensei! Have a good afternoon!"

The teacher stared at the child as he ran back to the school and couldn't move for at least fifteen minutes. When he did move, he didn't react with a scowl or even a hint of hatred or awkwardness. Instead, the man smiled and felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He had heard about Naruto Uzumaki through rumors; he heard the child was an absolute nightmare, as bad as the demon fox sealed within him, and deserved no kindness, no patience, warmth, or compassion. But after he learned the child's name, the man realized none of the rumors he had heard about him were true. Naruto was normal and an innocent little kid. He was a victim of misplaced anger, a fact few citizens of Konoha made the effort to realize. The tan-skinned teacher couldn't think about the demon when he thought about Naruto after he saw how kind he was at heart. It was hard to believe someone so normal, so nice could contain one of the most evil demonic forces known to mankind. Naruto Uzumaki wasn't a nightmare; he was far from that.

And soon, the man's face softened and he waved to the child before he realized he had been gone for over fifteen minutes. The young teacher lowered his hand and wished he had been able to see Naruto at least one more time before he left.

* * *

><p>Another week later, Naruto was back in the mindscape and seated in his desk in the latest classroom. He had out one of his books, <em>A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration<em>, and wrote down in his notebook, filled with notes scribbled all over the sheets. Naruto tried to concentrate as Harry lectured him on the basics but his mind wandered back to that man he met at lunch. The blonde wizard wished with all his heart that that man were his teacher instead of Daikoku. The cruel, rounded man didn't smile as often as he did whenever he arrived in class. Naruto had no idea what had happened when the chunin teacher reported Daikoku to the head instructor, but Harry suspected he was on academic probation or received a dock in his payment as punishment for his actions. No matter what punishment he received, Naruto still wished he had a different teacher and would have chosen the tan-skinned chunin in a heartbeat.

But his fantasies about the better teacher were cut short when Harry looked from his spellbook and called for his little student's attention.

"Naruto… what are the five exceptions of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration?" he asked.

The blonde wizard blinked and flinched before he wracked his brains for the answers. He then remembered the lesson from last week and tried to recall the five elements the two of them reviewed together.

"Umm… food, love, life," he hesitated but soon answered, "Information… and cash! I mean, money!"

The older wizard smiled, "Well done, Naruto!"

He then tossed his book onto his desk and stood in front of it as he leaned back and his arms supported his weight. The older wizard looked down at Naruto and frowned closed his book on Advanced Transfiguration and sighed while he walked around his desk and stood in front of it. He leaned up against the desk and faced his younger brother with his eyes lightly closed in thought.

"Let's take a break from magic, Little one. We need to discuss something very important… Your marks at the Academy."

Naruto looked from his notes and listened to his older brother.

"Your marks from school have dropped significantly, but I want to make it clear, right now, that it's not your fault this time… it's Daikoku's fault… that man carries most of the blame here."

The blonde child nodded in agreement.

"He has proven to be a completely useless teacher. The one thing he has been good at is negligence, and it doesn't seem fair that you have to suffer because of it. Ninjutsu is important to your future in this village and we have to balance out your skills in that department. But in order to improve those skills, we have to take matters into our own hands."

Naruto stared at the older wizard and asked, "What do you think we should do?"

Harry hesitated and tried to think about a plan he had in mind. He knew there would be a risk involved and hoped Naruto was courageous enough to go ahead with it. And if he was, he hoped it would at least work.

* * *

><p>{{<em>The Tangent Universe by Michael Andrews<em>}}

On a late Saturday night several weeks later, little Naruto was fast asleep on his bed. He remained undisturbed and at peace until he heard a calm, disembodied voice call out to him.

'_**Wake up, Naruto.**_'

He did as was commanded and opened his eyes without showing signs of drowsiness. The small blonde child quietly crawled out of his bed and silently made his way over to his closet. He opened it and put on a long pair of black sandal-socks that reached his knees. He dug further into his small wardrobe where he found a set of dark clothes that Naruto stitched himself from unused clothes. The outfit was designed to cover over his entire body with the exception of the eyes. Naruto quickly grasped the ends of the outfit and waited for Harry to make the first move in their plan.

'_Nii-san. I'm ready to start the charm._'

Back in the mindscape, the older wizard sat on his bed with his eyes closed in concentration and his hands stretched out in front of him. He focused his magic, as his hands seem to glow with a faint green aura. The strain of the exercise was noticeable as a single bead of sweat ran down his face

"I can only hope that this works…" he said.

Harry then focused even more magic into his hands and had it all transferred through to his little brother's in the real world. Naruto's hands soon began to glow as the magic flowed out of his fingers and into the material clenched in his fists. The suit absorbed the magic and the mixed materials began changing colors; it went from black, red, purple, green, and blue, before it turned silver and then settled back to a strange shade of black. The blonde-haired child smiled in victory as he watched the clothes begin to change before his eyes.

'_Nii-san! It's working!_'

The older wizard smirked and stopped the process to check on the condition of the fabrics. The suit had turned into a silky and reflective blackish-silver material. Naruto quickly put on the grabs over his pajamas and patted his way to the mirror in his closet to examine his outfit after he took a set of green goggles Sarutobi gave him for his birthday. He slipped them on and looked into the mirror and examined his reflection.

"Cool! I look like Spider-Man from the Black Suit Saga," he exclaimed as he pretend to shooting webs from his wrists.

'_**What the hell is a Spider-Man? It doesn't sound like something you should be reading about at your age…**_'

'_He's my most favorite superhero ever! He's so smart and fun and badass and cool! But he's still a social outcast! Just like me!_'

'_**Naruto, c'mon. We need to get going.**_'

The boy snapped back into the plan and closed his closet door slowly to keep his mirror out of site. He then moved back to his bed and reached underneath it for all of the few toys he had and extra blankets Sarutobi donated to him. He placed them all into a tightly clustered pile on his bed and threw his blanket over it. He then disguised the end of the pile with fake blonde hair, so that the effigy would be convincing. Once Naruto's doppelganger was finished, he crept out of his bedroom and grabbed his emptied backpack before leaving his apartment and locking it as softly as he could. He had to be careful not to wake up his apartment manager as the door clicked shut and when he crept passed his section of the building.

(A/N: Sorry for the Spider-Man reference, I've just been playing Shattered Dimensions a lot this week)

Once he departed the apartment building, Naruto squeezed his hands together and activated the special features of his enhanced outfit. At his command, his clothes blended into the environment as if he were a human chameleon. The small child jumped out of the streets and ran down the first alley passageway of the dark city without detection or even leaving behind a single footprint in his wake. He made his way down to the Ninja Academy until he could see it from across the street. From where he stood, the school was blanketed in darkness, locked shut, and not a soul to be seen. But then he noticed a light shine within, and the silhouette of a dark figure in the windows. Naruto hid behind a trash can and waited until the figure had vanished and ran across the street and into the playground. He ran across the schoolyard from shadow to shadow until he found the maintenance crew's entrance in the back. The door was locked, like the others, but Naruto reached out to the lock and then he snapped his fingers next to it.

Naruto whispered under his breath, "_Alohomora!_"

And the lock on the door clicked and the door creaked open , allowing Naruto to enter the school.

Naruto had learned how to use spells in the real world shortly after Harry introduced to wandless magic. The older wizard taught him how to harness his abilities and use wandless magic in the form of snapping his fingers, much like a house elf. The effectiveness of his spells were significantly reduced this method, prompting Naruto and Harry into focusing more magic and effort into his spells when he used them in the real world. It took the last two months to learn how to do it, but the two of them managed in preparation of this secret operation.

{{_The Invisibility Cloak and The Library Scene by John Williams_}}

Naruto stepped inside the school with caution. He took a good look at this one particularly dark corridor, noticing how scary the school looked at night. The child slowly made his way inside and walked through the empty hallways without letting himself be sighted outside through the windows; he crouch beneath the windows and remained hidden in the shadows with the aid of his chameleon suit. Naruto walked passed a water fountain and looked into several classroom doors to find them abandoned with the exception of the documents left behind on the teacher's desks.

'_**Come closer to the wall. Stay away from those windows, Naruto… We have to find the stairs... There...**_'

Naruto climbed the stairs made from stone and metal while he strained his ears to check for the guard he was sure was somewhere in the school. As the child climbed a set of stairs, his foot slid once or twice before he caught himself and continued. Once he reached the floor above his classroom, Naruto stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a teacher on the other side of the door. He peaked through the narrow window of the door and saw a man down the hall. He almost alerted him when he reached for the handle and would have failed the mission had he not noticed first. Naruto remained still and waited for the teacher to leave. For five minutes he waited but the teacher didn't move and seemed to be distracted.

'_**You need to get him to walk away from here for a while… Try using the Confundus Charm on him, Naruto.**_'

Naruto opened the door a small crack and aimed at the teacher down the hall before he snapped his fingers. He felt his older brother fuel him with magic and focused on the charm he had a difficult time mastering.

He whispered, "_Confundo!_"

A flash of light erupted from Naruto's hand and a similar flash of light snapped next to the head of the chunin standing guard. The man faltered where he stood and then looked around his surrounding in a disoriented fashion before he started walking the opposite direction of Naruto's location. The chunin soon disappeared when he walked down the opposite set of stairs and headed towards the basement floor.

The child then muttered as he aimed at a security camera, "_Tenebrae!_"

The little red light on the camera went out like a blown candle before the camera ceased movement and seemed to shut down on its own. Harry had developed that useful charm to shut down or turn off cameras, lights, and other Muggle technologies. Naruto could have broken the camera if he focused more and fried the insides, but was more than content with the result he had. The blonde wizard smiled as he entered the hall and made sure to close the door behind him nice and slow. The staircase doors were made of metal and often closed with a loud boom. But with the door closed, Naruto ran down the hall towards the school's library archive.

With their success of the mission so far, Naruto felt a lot more confident as his brother's plan came into fruition.

Several weeks earlier, during recess and lunch, Naruto snuck his way to the library to rent a few books that would help him in Daikoku's class. But the librarian forbade him from even getting inside or simply letting him study on his own there. With this ridiculous predicament, Harry proposed the idea that they could sneak into the school at night and "borrow" the books they needed to improve Naruto's scores in class. Harry planned to make copies of the books they found and make replicas to study from in the mindscape. So at each recess and lunch, Harry had Naruto perform several reconnaissance missions around the entrance to the library and the surrounding areas to check for any security measurements put into place to keep the library's information protected. Once sure that he had seen enough of the securities, the two of them drew out floor plans on how to infiltrate the library, take the books they needed, and cover their tracks.

Naruto stopped at the corner of the hall and waited for Harry's instructions. He had to take a look at the hall and make sure to find all of the security measurements Naruto couldn't see and guide him around them.

'_**Ok… First, lift your right foot and step exactly one foot forward and stay in that one spot.**_'

The child did as he was told and avoided tripping over the thin wires that could set off the alarm.

'_**Now make your way towards the wall on your right. The camera up ahead will spot you if you're on the left side of the corridor. Go now.**_'

Naruto listened to his brother's instructions and crept against the right wall as close as he could. He blended into the darkness with his chameleon suit to be invisible while he breezed over the traps. Naruto looked back behind him to check if the guard was coming back as he slid against the wall to his destination while waiting for Harry's next instruction.

'_**Watch it!**_'

Naruto stopped and looked down to see that he almost tripped one of the wires.

'_**Step back slightly… Now take a small step to the right… and make a step forward… and now get back against the wall again. Good job, Little one!**_'

After a minute of useful instructions around the wires and laser detections, Naruto reached the end of the wall and looked around the next corner to see the last camera almost catch him. Once he spotted it, he clicked his fingers like before and created that same distinct flash of light.

He cried in silence, "_Tenebrae!_"

The camera deactivated, and Naruto entered the library without incident. The child clenched his fists and activated his chameleon suit to blend into the environment if there were more cameras around, but the vast room was filled with shadows. The colorful walls decorated with cartoon animals didn't make the dark room look safe or warm. It almost looked like an ideal home for some monster to live in; that hides in the dark and waits to snatch someone in an instant and kill them. The room was filled with tall shelves and round tables scattered around the middle. Naruto shivered out of an old fear of the dark but soon remembered he wasn't alone with his brother searched for what he came for, as invisible as he was.

'_**Good. We've gotten this far, but we don't have very long before that guard snaps out of it. Head for the history section in the back. Frankly, your knowledge of the past sucks, Little one.**_'

'_NII-SAN!_' the child hissed.

Harry shouted and held his head at the sheer volume of Naruto's telepathic retort, '_**OWW! Cut the volume, huh?!**_'

Naruto apologized for his outburst, as he hated being reminded of his low scores in class. With that behind them, he ventured to the darker corners of the room and took out a flashlight from his backpack. With the small light, he checked the titles of the books on the shelves, written in metallic letters, such as: _A Beginners Guide to Chakra Molding and Combat_ by Tenzin of the Nomads, _The Way of the Ninja: An Outlook on the Illustrious History of Shinobi _by Hikaku Uchiha, _Basic Ninja History and Training _by Feng-Shui, _An Unbiased History of the Village Hidden in the Leaves _by Harumi Aimi, and _A Shinobi's Monologue _by Hashirama Senju, The Shodai Hokage.

Naruto stared in shock at the name of the Shodai Hokage and marveled at the fact that one of Konoha's founders had written a book.

The child looked from title to title; unable to decide which ones he should take with him. Remembering that time was not on his side tonight, Naruto took them all off the shelves and stuffed them into his backpack with care. Each and every book he had taken was either thin and bendable or thick and leather-bound. He sure was glad he had cleaned out his backpack before he left, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to take half of the books he wanted. Once he threw them all in, Naruto locked his bag shut and heaved it on the shelf he had climbed to reach the books. He then stood up on the shelf and rearranged the other books to hide whatever he took. Naruto then hopped off the table but then jumped in the air when a thunderous voice broke out from the darkness.

"_WHO'S IN THERE?!_" demanded a loud, unfamiliar voice of a man.

The hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stood as he whirled his head in the direction of the voice. He saw the beam of a flashlight shoot into the library from the hall and cupped his hand over his mouth to muffle his breath. The child grabbed his backpack instinctively, accidentally tipping over a decorative ornament created in one of the art classes. The ornament fell and shattered on the floor that echoed across the various corridors of the school.

'_**Not good! Not good!**_'

Naruto whirled around, panicking while he tried to think of a way out of his situation. He thought quickly, activating the spell on his clothes before he silently sprint through the library, keeping out of sight from the guard that had entered the scene. The frightened child couldn't see the man's face in the darkness, but he could just barely make out that it was a thin chunin teacher, wore a bandanna headband and had long white hair that framed his face. Naruto had seen the man before at the welcoming ceremony at the start of term, but had never bothered to learn his name. The white-haired man crept through the library without making a sound but moved at speeds that almost made him look like a blur.

"WHERE ARE YOU?! SHOW YOURSELF!" the teacher demanded in a harsh, bloodthirsty voice.

The toddler waited patiently, barely letting himself breath until the teacher went to investigate the remains of the broken ornament, giving him enough time to sneak out and escape. While the teacher began to notice the disappearance of several important books, Naruto sprint out of the library, noticing that the teacher had deactivated the security defenses. Naruto ran through the hall and back down the stairs to the floor below the library without anything going wrong. But then he gasped noiselessly and stopped dead in his tracks when he realized he had forgotten to close the stairway door silently. Just as he remembered, he heard the door close with a loud bang followed by the heavy, rushing footsteps of the teacher he thought he escaped from.

'_**Oh, crap…**_'

The blood in his head drained before his heart raced at impossible speeds and Naruto ran as fast as he could down the hall out of sheer panic and fright.

'_**Head for the garbage shoot! The garbage shoot! GO! GO! GO!**_'

Naruto ran down the hall, recognizing the design from the escape plan he and Harry devised last week and turned a corner where a garbage shoot was waiting for him. Just as he started to approach it, he heard the door of the staircase he exited from slam open and bang against the wall.

"I KNOW YOU'RE THERE, THIEF!" roared an enraged voice.

The child yelped silently and forced the garbage shoot open with as little noise as he could manage. But he gasped once he realized the shoot had been locked for the night. He looked behind him to see his pursuer's growing shadow coming from down the hall. Naruto clicked his fingers and used his magic to unlock the door and forced the shoot open before it was too late. He hopped inside, and closed the door shut. But before the door closed, he caught a glimpse of the man's unsightly pale and contorted face. The two of them locked eyes with one another for less than a second; bone-chilling silver eyes met with determined brilliant blue hidden behind a thick set of goggles.

The teacher reached behind him and threw a handful of shuriken at the child. Naruto quickly shut the door, the shuriken stuck into the metal door as the child let himself fall. He dropped down the shoot as if he were riding on a dangerous and terrifying slide. He turned sharply several times and his body banged against the walls. Naruto still held onto his backpack tightly as he was thrown and tossed several times before he fell straight down and right into a large pile of soft and squashy garbage in the dumpster outside. Naruto looked around him and sighed a breath of relief upon seeing that he landed on the protective foam thrown out yesterday. Harry sighed as well, and thanked the steel companies for delivering the shuriken and kunai the protective foam was packaged with.

Naruto then crawled out of the bin and continued his escape; worried the teacher would burst out of the school to catch him. The child clambered out of the dumpster and ran back to the entrance he used to break-in and replaced the lock. No more than a second after he clicked it shut, the door banged and nearly broke off its hinges as he heard an audible crunch of bone and an inhuman roar from the other side of the door. Naruto screamed, unable to contain himself and he ran away as fast as he could. He ran back home through a different selection of alleyways so that he wouldn't be followed. He didn't stop running until he approached his apartment building, somehow snuck back inside, avoided waking his few neighbors, and ran inside his apartment, locking the door behind him and barricaded it with a table and chair. Naruto returned to his small bedroom and collapsed onto his bed as he tried to catch his breath for over an hour. It wasn't until then, before he could concentrate a thought he saved for Harry.

'_Just think… They _might_ have noticed that I took a few books…_'

Harry wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, feeling the same rush of excitement and adrenaline. And out of nowhere, he started chuckling. Slow at first, but then turned into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Both their ribs ached with the combination of exhaustion and hard laughter. But even so, the two of them laughed until their throats felt raw. Once it was finally over, Naruto pushed away his decoy and retreated into bed and fell asleep.

Harry assured his little brother as he too fell asleep, '_**Don't worry… You got away with it…**_'

* * *

><p>To Be Continued…<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Well! I gotta say, it's almost been a full chapter and I feel great that it's wrapping up. I felt that I did a good job this time!<strong>

**Naruto: Aren't you a cocky bastard!**

**Kvsyaoran: You cheeky f**ker!**

**(Naruto and Kvsyaoran start laughing hysterically and in comes LeafRanger throwing a plastic bin at both out heads)**

**Kvsyaoran: OH!**

**Naruto: (in a British accent) Ya dirty bastard!**

**LR: HAHAHAHAHA!**

**Kvsyaoran: This is randomly hysterical! Way to end another chapter!**

**Naruto: I can't believe we went through an entire chapter and not **_**one thing**_** went too crazy or too out of control on behalf of Azeroth44!**

**(Kvsyaoran and LeafRanger stop laughing and look at Naruto with a look of horror on their faces)**

**Naruto: I mean REALLY! Not a single thing! We didn't even go though another explosion!**

**LR: You fool…**

**Kvsyaoran: TABOO!**

**(Azeroth44's unconscious body suddenly EXPLODES!)**

* * *

><p><strong>Leave behind a nice review, please! So I'll have more self-esteem! *Wink*<strong>


	5. Iruka Umino

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/ Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's Thoughts/other people's thoughts

'**_Blah_**': Harry talking to Naruto

* * *

><p>(<strong>Emerging from the rubble of the author and character lair) Well, it's a good thing we've survived all that. Who's not dead? Sound off!<strong>

**Naruto: I'm okay!**

**LR: Owww.**

**Kvsyaoran: You know... This may just sound random, but until Azeroth44's body is reconstructed, I think maybe the right time we brought someone new into the lair.**

**Naruto: Who did you have in mind?**

**Kvsyaoran: Two choices. Either it's that annoying youtube orange thing or Deadpool from Marvel Comics?**

**Everyone: Deadpool.**

**Youtube Orange: Awww...**

**Deadpool: (Bursting through the door) Did someone say ma name?**

**Kvsyaoran: Wade, you cheeky bastard! Ya got my message! You have been invited to join in on my introductions and conclusions to this story until Azeroth44 is reborn!**

**Deadpool: (Scratching his head) This sounds fun. Stuck in a room with a bunch of fantasy dudes on a high protein diet. Dreams really do come true.**

**Naruto: HEY! I resent that! DATTEBAYO!**

**Deadpool: Oh, boy, we're gonna have so much fun. I know it, guys! Believe it!**

**(Silence)**

**LR: ... Shut your mouth before I rip your tongue out, Wilson...**

**Deadpool: I like this guy already!**

**Kvsyaoran: Heh! Let's see how this goes!**

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto**

**Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: Iruka Umino<p>

* * *

><p>The following morning, Naruto woke up rather groggily for having stayed up for so late. He got out of bed and started going on and on how he was dreaming about playing Quidditch with Harry. The boy took some time into putting the broken toys and spare blankets of his effigy away from last night. Naruto also got undressed from his chameleon outfit and replaced them with his pajamas. He then crawled underneath his bed, removed the loose floorboard, hiding the stolen books and the black stealth suit inside of the hidden compartment for good measure. He replaced the board of wood and placed all of his toys and blankets over top of it.<p>

'_It was so amazing! You shoulda seen it! It was just like in the matches you showed me in the Pensieve that one time! I was the Seeker and so were you!_'

'**_Two Seekers in _****one****_ Quidditch match? That's just insane!_**'

Naruto then got up from under the bed and went straight to his kitchen and started his early morning ritual.

'**_Now remember the drill, Little one. Eat a healthy breakfast, with some fruit and milk. Then take a bath. Change into some fresh, clean clothes, and then we can go to the training field and work on your jutsu. But not before you brush your teeth!_**'

The boy moaned while he pushed the chair in his kitchen to reach for his breakfast in the cupboard.

'_Do I havta?_' he asked.

Harry scowled, '**_Do as I say, young man._**'

The small child sighed and reached out for his breakfast items. He grabbed a box of cereal, a bowl, and then some napkins he had stored in the back of his cabinet. He looked around an old, half-empty box of Raisin Brand and reached out for the only box of breakfast tarts he had. Before he could touch the box, Harry stopped him verbally which cause little Naruto to jump as if his hand was just smacked at.

'**_Nu-uh-uh! Stop right there! Nobody got big and strong from eating Poptarts for breakfast. Eat your cereal and fruit, Little one. Chop, chop!_**'

Naruto groaned, '_Awww…_'

* * *

><p>On Monday morning, Naruto got right up after another good night sleep and brief magical training session. He gathered his original textbooks and school supplies back into his backpack, changed into his normal clothes, and checked under his bed for any nifflers since he had just learned about them the previous night.<p>

Once sure that he was finished with everything at the homestead, Harry's voice rang again while Naruto was walking towards the door with a bagged lunch in hand.

'**_Now, you remembered to do your homework?_**'

'_Yes._'

'**_You placed Colloportus on the floorboard just to be safe?_**'

'_Yep! Yes!_'

'**_Did you remember to brush your teeth?_**'

Naruto froze when he closed his apartment door before he scowled and stormed back into his house to take care of one last chore before school. Harry snickering while Naruto mumbled about bossy older brothers.

* * *

><p>{{<em>The Artifact &amp; Living by Michael Andrews<em>}}

When he reached school a full half-hour later, Naruto was met with an alarming sight. He crossed the street to his school to find that it was being blocked off from the Konoha Military Police Force. There were broken windows and busted-up lined with yellow police tape all over the Academy building. The entrance to the school grounds were cut off by the police with even more yellow tape that prevented the students and the teachers from getting inside. Naruto could see several tall and muscular black-haired men dressed in jounin-level shinobi uniforms, only instead of having the distinguished red swirl on the arms of the uniforms, they had a black shuriken crest with the symbol of the Uchiha clan emblazoned on top of it; a red and white fire fan that almost looked like a Pokéball on a stick.

The Uchiha clan was one of the most powerful, if not, the most powerful shinobi clan in the entire village. They were also in charge of the police, in fact, their entire clan comprised of the _entire_ village-wide police force. But due to their reputation, the Uchiha were known to be quite full of themselves and arrogant given their untold strength and dominance over the other clans of the village. They were so proud of their reputation that they even refused to let anyone else join the police force if they were not related to the Uchiha clan by blood.

This behavior prompted a lot of people to hate them, while a lot of people (particularly civilians) tend to worship them for their power and popularity.

Naruto particularly didn't like them due to the fact that they barely did their job as the police and let numerous injustices go without punishment, as they were somehow benefited through their lack of justice. Naruto had his apartment broken into numerous times and had many of his belongings stolen from him. The police did absolutely nothing to help him and refused to seek out the people who stole from him and instead chose to trash his apartment and raid whatever was left in his refrigerator.

This was probably due to the fact that the clan universally hated Naruto because of the Kyuubi and that some of the members of the police/Uchiha clan were actually a considerable number of the culprits that broke into his apartment in the first place.

Naruto hated them all and wanted nothing to do with any of them.

His older companion also hated the Uchiha clan for having reminded him of every stuck-up pureblood family and Death Eater he had ever met in his previous lifetime. Every opportunity he saw one of the members of the clan through his little brother's line of sight, Harry would fake-coughed the word 'Death Eater' just to be funny.

But that's not to say that all of them were very bad. If memory served him right, one of Naruto's earliest caretakers was actually someone from the Uchiha clan. He could never remember what that one particular person looked like, but could vaguely recall that it was a boy and that he had black hair parted in the middle. But given the those two distinct physical characteristics, it could have been anyone in the clan for all he knew.

Naruto saw several of the Uchiha police officers talking to the same teacher he escaped from the library. He could see that the man had sustained an injury when he probably tried to break through the back door Naruto had locked. It looked like he and busted his left arm very badly. The teacher had his arm hung in a white sling and had to gesture using his right arm. He appeared to be telling the police what had happened as if he were telling some kind of heroic tale. Harry observed the surroundings by stretching out his senses again and tried to figure out what had happened to cause the other property damages. He focused on looking at the teacher in questioning and tried to read his lips before he soon figured it out.

'**_He's stretching the truth._**'

Naruto blinked, '_Huh? How do you mean?_'

'**_I can tell from here, just barely. But it looks like that he's saying that someone had broken into the school (that someone being us), only he's saying that the thief vandalized the hallways and broke open the windows after the thief injured the teacher…! That teacher must have done it himself in a fit of rage. Just look at his eyes, you can see him hiding the truth behind them…_**'

Naruto said in awe, '_Wow... You could tell that much from all the way here?_'

'**_Either that, or he's saying that a purple elephant came and joined the circus to have tea. I'll be honest, that was my first time reading lips, so I could be totally wrong…_**'

Naruto snorted in laughter and soon shook his head so as not to look crazy. He looked over to see the teacher go on while a burly-looking Uchiha wrote down every detail of his story. The teacher then stopped, having sensed that someone was staring at him and looked over in Naruto's direction. The boy tried to keep his distance and looked around the rest of the Academy to find that all of the doors leading to the inside were closed off, preventing the increasing number of students and teachers from entering the building.

The Academy student decided to do some detective work and looked over to his side at a boy around his age looking over at the police officers. This unfamiliar face was currently admiring a very unfriendly-looking man that appeared to be the chief inspector, as he wore a black apron with a white diamond pattern on the bottom. Naruto looked to the boy and saw that he had spiky jet-black hair, pale skin, and onyx-black eyes. Physical traits that were usually associated with the Uchiha clan, only his hair had a strange blue tint to it. While still knowing that he was probably a member of the clan, Naruto shook off his contempt towards the family and tried to get some answers from this boy as kindly as he could manage.

"Excuse me? What's happened?" he asked, also hoping to be more socially active.

The boy he was beckoning to looked at Naruto with an annoyed expression on his oddly sharp-looking face, "My clan is busy doing what they do best."

The boy said nothing after that, assuming that Naruto knew what he was implying. But the boy's question was never answered and the unnecessary pause prompted him to ask what he meant.

"And that is?" he asked.

The Uchiha boy rolled his eyes and said, "Justice. They're the police officers, stupid. They're figuring out what happened last night."

Naruto already felt himself beginning to like this boy less and less each and every time he so much as opened his smart-aleck mouth.

"And what happened last night, may I ask?"

The black-haired boy answered, "Are you blind, you stupid idiot? There was a break-in."

Naruto's eyes turned flat and angry at the boy's unfriendly attitude and name-calling.

"Well _excuse me _for not being a walking and talking newspaper. I didn't hear anything about this, so that's why I asked you what happened, you big jerk."

The boy said back with his eyes closed smugly, "That's your fault, loser. Not mine."

'**_People can be SO nice these days…_**'

Naruto ignored Harry's comment and turned away from the black-haired boy, trying to see if there were any signs of having to go to class today. But then the back-haired boy started talking again, fueling another argument.

"My dad is the greatest at doing his job. He's the head of the police force! He's the chief and he's a hero!" he said proudly.

At hearing that the chief inspector of the military police was doing a good job, Naruto failed to resist the urge to criticize, "Yeah, he must be a real hero for letting injustices slide under his fat nose…"

The son of the police chief looked at Naruto with an ugly look on his pale face.

Naruto continued, "That stupid man has let my apartment get robbed into five times in a row, and not once did he lift a finger to make it stop. Unless you count him letting his other police officers to take whatever was left of my home and pawn it off. I had to end up solving the problem all by myself. That head Uchiha is an incompetent fool and a pathetic excuse for a police officer!"

The boy forced Naruto to face him and he growled at the blonde as if he had spat in his face. The black-haired boy looked ready to clock little Naruto in the face.

"You dare talk about my dad like that with such lies?"

"I'll have a go at anyone who calls me a liar, you arrogant tosspot!"

'**_Naruto Uzumaki! You watch your language!_**'

The black-haired boy was about to lunge at Naruto for insulting him and his family name but was stopped by the sound of a young woman calling out his name. She quickly intervened and prevented the confrontation that was only seconds away from becoming a full-out brawl.

"Sasuke-chan! Your daddy is busy at work. We have to go home now, sweetums!"

The black-haired boy's mother gently reached out for her son's hand and calmly dragged him away from school. But not before she stopped to look at Naruto with eyes slightly widened. Sasuke's mother looked right into the blonde-child's eyes and thought that she had seen someone else inside of them. But instead of immediately running away with her child because of the fox, she looked at Naruto as if she had just seen an old friend from her past. She soon shook her head, thinking her wild thoughts to be silly and gently carried her son back home. Before they fully disappeared, Sasuke looked back at Naruto and stuck his tongue out at him.

The blonde-haired child scowled, "Like father, like son, I guess…"

'**_Naruto Ignotus Uzumaki, you know better than to treat people like that. What got into you back there?_**'

The boy shrugged, '_I have no idea... I just really didn't like that kid._'

* * *

><p>For the next two days, the Academy had been closed and all classes were canceled. The Uchiha clan thought it would be best to complete a thorough investigation as to who was responsible for committing the robbery as well as the extensive vandalism. Until the investigation was over, the children would not be able to return to school and the teachers would not be able to go to work. When Naruto was stuck at home, he had nothing to do but lay down on his back in the middle of his bedroom. He sighed boredly before he curled up on his bed and decided to take a nap. After about one hour of solid nap-time, his older brother woke him up with an idea.<p>

'**_Naruto… I want you to bring out the books… It's time we imprinted them here in the mindscape._**'

The boy mumbled and moaned slightly, having been in the middle of a pleasing dream about becoming Hokage and was about to be knighted with the hat gently placed on his head like a crown. He crankily got up and let out a loud and long yawn before he crawled out of bed and stretched.

'**_It's time for me to start copying these books for us to study in the mindscape, then we can get rid of them so you won't get caught red-handed._**'

'_Already, Nii-san? Can't it wait til later?_'

'**_We have to get this done as soon as possible. Before the police start knocking on your front door._**'

'_If you say so, Nii-san…_' he sighed and dropped down to his knees, fully awake.

He then sprawled onto the floor and crawled underneath his bed. Naruto unlocked the floorboard with a snap of his fingers and pulled out all of the books he had 'borrowed' from the school. But before he removed them out from under the bed, he got out and closed the blinds on his windows and even locked the door of his bedroom and closet. Once the room felt secure and closed off from outside world, he removed the books from their hiding place and laid them all down in front of him on the floor.

'**_Good. Now I want you to open them all, starting with the first page._**'

Naruto did as his brother said and opened them all.

'**_Now look at these books, and don't mind the strange sensation you're about to feel… Though I won't deny that it might feel… a little strenuous… But you'll be fine, I know it._**'

Before the boy could even ask him for a countdown, Naruto felt his body become still and rigid for a split second. Back in the mindscape, his older brother's emerald eyes started glowing brightly and his hands also started glowing as they did when he put the special charm on Naruto's stealth outfit. The small boy then felt his eyes begin to move subtlety against his will as they glazed over the books. He held his arms out for Harry to channel his magic into the pages. Naruto's eyes moved against his wishes and started shifting rapidly, reading every single word on every single page of every single book. The pages soon began to flip and turn on their own, no doubt Harry was channeling his magic through Naruto to make this happen as he absorbed all of this new information. The process did not leave much of an impact on Naruto even while information was literally being flowed into his mind through his eyes. He would have to study these words without magical shortcuts if he wished to truly learn from them.

Back in the mindscape, Harry manufactured a perfect replica of the same books Naruto was absorbing in the real world. Each and every last book was copied down to perfection; every inked worked, eery indentation, and every single fine detail was copied onto the blank books that Harry had prepared for in advance. The wizard smiled as his spell worked and told Naruto to drop his arms and let go once the final book had closed itself. The child's eyes soon stopped moving against his will and he sighed with relief.

'**_Are you alright, Naruto? Anything hurt? Your head okay?_**'

Naruto tilted his head curiously and poked at it as if something was supposed to happen. But he felt no physical or mental pain whatsoever. He felt just as normal as he did five minutes ago, take away the drowsiness that had once plagued him. His eyes did feel slightly strained for having moved so rapidly against his will, but other than that, there was nothing wrong with him and the replication process was a complete success.

'_I feel fine, Nii-san... I'm gonna go training today. Can you watch over me while I practice?_'

'**_Very well._** **_Don't forget to bring your safety-weapons and bring your notes from school. See if you can study while you're out there._**'

* * *

><p>When school was back in session, Naruto arrived on time and readied himself for any upcoming pop quiz or test that his teacher had to throw. He had spent a good amount of time in the mindscape not only working up on some of his magic, but his ninjutsu as well. It took two days, but at long last, Naruto was caught up with the rest of his class and almost ahead of Daikoku with what he was teaching them, as scattered as it was.<p>

When he entered the classroom, he ignored Kiba's glares and the cruel taunts of the other students as he sat down in his seat, waiting for Daikoku to arrive. When he did, approximately ten minutes later, he came in with a police officer and the teacher whose arm was still in a sling. The bell rang and the students sat down to listened to whatever their teacher was going to address them with.

"Good morning, boys and girls. I have a special announcement to make. Apparently, a few nights ago last week, a person broke into the building and stole several important books and vandalized school property…"

Harry started whistled Hedwig's Theme to himself innocently.

"The police have officially called off the search of the school, but that does not mean that the issue is not important nor has it been fully dropped. Because whoever the thief is, we are still determined to find them no matter who they are and where they might be hiding. We are just here to say that we will keep a close eye and run a much tighter ship after this fiasco… We promise that one day, and when that day comes, we will find the perpetrator and punish him justly."

The Uchiha police officer then took over and started lecturing the class on the importance of the clan and why it was chosen to be the head of the police. Naruto ignored this lecture and had Harry listen to it for him but then the older wizard's voice rang out.

'**_This isn't good…_**'

'_What d'you mean? The lecture is that boring?_'

'**_Yeah, it's bad, but I'm talking about something else. While there's no way they could trace the scene of the crime back to you, since there were no security cameras that caught you and you didn't leave behind any evidence… You have the books that they're looking for, but they'll never be able to find them with how well you've hidden them…_**'

'_So what's the problem, Nii-san…?_'

'**_They can still find you, Naruto… I think I can see through what Daikoku-teme said a moment ago, about how they would eventually find the thief… He seemed confident that he would catch us, and why would that be?_**'

'_I dunno._'

'**_I think it's because he's expecting the culprit to reveal himself with the information he took…! He's waiting for us to show them what we've learned from stealing those books, Naruto… If you show some sort of dramatic improvement in your grades in such a short amount of time, he will suspect you immediately and you'll be done for..._**'

Naruto groaned, '_Let's talk about this when we go home, please?_'

* * *

><p>After school that day, Harry had Naruto return to the mindscape and talked to him about their situation. He told him that in order to hide the fact that he was learning so much from the stolen books, then he would have to cover his tracks by making it seem like he hadn't learned anything at all.<p>

Naruto was annoyed and extremely frustrated that Harry wanted him to act as the role of the dobe, even though he was actually becoming a very promising student. He would have to put on a false mask of stupidity and hide himself for who he truly was if he did this. Naruto argued with Harry for a while, until the older man explained his reasoning; if everyone thought of him as an idiot, then no one would suspect him of the break-in or anything odd that happened.

The boy was stubborn and refused to go through with the plan. But after some time, careful explanation, and persuasive reasoning, Naruto had no other choice but to accept this task. As hard as it would be for him and his possible future.

While Naruto grew to accept his role as the loser of his class, he tried to find some light in it. After he viewed several of Harry's memories from the Pensieve, he was inspired to take on a new role and start a legacy at his academy by becoming a practical joker, like Fred and George. He could have fun by making other people laugh, and soon he would be unable to distinguish laughs of torment with laughs of support.

* * *

><p>The following week, Naruto and his classmates were about to take a test on what they had learned so far this year. Harry suspected that their teacher's reasons for wanting to test the students at such a short notice was that he was trying to find out if the thief was a student in his own class. Harry could tell from the look in his eyes that he wanted the thief to be Naruto, so he could turn him in and be rewarded heavily.<p>

To prevent from giving Daikoku any such satisfaction, Naruto would have to make sure that a majority of the questions on his test sheet were incorrectly answered. Removing himself as a suspect of the robbery.

"Test time, everybody!" the teacher announced, "For the next hour and ten minutes, you are to stay in your seats quietly. This test is to brush you up on what you know so far and so that way we can determine your grades by where they stand. You are not to cheat or ask for any help of any kind or be allowed to get answers from someone else."

Daikoku then started passing out all of the papers to his students, leaving behind a series of audible booms while he walked up and down the rows. Daikoku gave Naruto his test paper last and smirked down at him evilly as he expected him to be the one he sought for his reward. Naruto took the paper from his unrelenting hand and shook his head before he got ready to fill in the blanks on his answer sheet. He sighed as he knew he would fail his test either way.

He was now ready to embrace his role as the class dobe.

"You may begin... now!"

Naruto pressed his pencil to the paper, only for it to snap once he got started on filling in the first question. He grit his teeth in anger and grabbed his second-hand pencil sharpener. He heard the sounds of the other students scribbling down their answers on their tests while he was lagging behind. The blonde-child shoved his pencil into the tiny hole and started twisting it as hard as he could. He removed his utensil and saw that it still hadn't been sharpened enough to continue writing. In a fit of frustration, he shoved the pencil back into the slot only to gasp when he missed and shoved the jagged end of his pencil right into his left palm. Naruto dropped his things and gasped in horror when he saw blood begin to leak out of the long gash on his hand like spilled ink.

"Ahh! AHH!" the child panicked, causing several heads to rise up and look at him.

"Someone!" he beckoned, "Guys! I need a plaster! I really, really need a plaster! Someone help me, please! I need a plaster!"

Those that had seen Naruto begin to spill blood over his test paper tilted their heads in confusion as to what on earth he was asking of them. Still confused as to what he needed, the students failed to put two and two together and realize that what Naruto was talking about a band-aid. It took almost five to six minutes before any of the students finally understood, but by that time, they were too late to help as their teacher stood up with an infuriated snarl laced on his unappealing face. Daikoku stomped his way to Naruto's seat in the back row and pulled him by his hair and dragged him out of the classroom using excessive force. The boy's hand continued to bleed profusely, drizzling droplets of crimson liquid all over the wooden floor of the classroom.

"OWW!" the child wailed as he was dragged to his teacher's office.

Daikoku threw the poor child into his office and struck him across the face to sit down in the only available seat apart from the one behind his desk. Naruto instantly stopped wailing in pain after the bruise formed over his cheek. To help cope with the intense pain pulsing on his scalp, he started rubbing his head with his undamaged hand.

"What the hell is your problem, you freak? Getting up and causing me trouble again!" the middle-aged teacher outraged.

Naruto looked at him with a mix of hurt and confusion, "What trouble are you talking about? _I was bleeding!_"

Daikoku slammed his fat fist to the desk, causing Naruto to jump and begin to recoil in fear of being hit by him again.

"_I'm not having this conversation WITH YOU!_" he growled.

The boy sat back down and kept quiet before his teacher would hit him again. But while he kept quiet, he refused to let go of his outrage at his teacher for being so blatantly unfair to him. Daikoku could not just turn his head away from the obvious accident that took place in his classroom a few moments ago. Naruto's left hand stung and sizzled while he still kept a firm grip over it to keep it from bleeding. His teacher refused to acknowledge this and instead chose to throw false accusations.

"Your classmates were taking a test and you decided to be the class-clown by yelling out and making up stories about your hand being cut!"

"But I actually cut my hand! Look at it!" the child showed his teacher the blood-stained hand.

Daikoku leaned forward to inspect the wound, accidentally pushing his desk forward when his vested stomach pushed up against it. The teacher scrunched his ugly, pig-like face and squinted his eyes before he pulled away and sneered at Naruto.

"You lying little freak. I don't see any cut!"

Naruto gasped when he looked at his hand to find that the wound had vanished. The damage he had accidentally inflict upon himself had healed with that painful sizzle and hiss he felt and heard a few short seconds ago. The wound was healed to the point where it seemed like there was never a cut there to begin with.

"But it was right... there..."

He was so confused. He knew it was there. He had felt it and seen it. The pain, the blood, it was all there winking him right in the face. Naruto lifted up his hand and showed Daikoku the only evidence he had left to show for his accident.

"B-but the blood! Can't you see the blood?" he asked.

Daikoku growled insensibly, "You used a ketchup packet, you twerp! It's the oldest trick in the book!"

"But, I wouldn't lie about this!" he exclaimed as he felt tears welling up.

Daikoku answered harshly, "That's a detention with me after school for all the trouble you've caused... Ever since day one, it was always foolish dreams and stupid questions from you! Well it all ends here, Uzumaki! Because troublemakers like you deserve to be punished…"

Naruto lowered his head, his eyes becoming dark, instead of succumbing to tears. The lights in the office flickered briefly as he lost and quickly regained control over his magic while he clenched his fists and let his body tremble with hatred. He clenched his teeth so hard, that he felt as if they would shatter under the pressure he put them under. Naruto's round eyes grew sharp and cold as he started speaking to his sensei with a quiet and deadly voice. The teacher stood up from his seat, thinking Naruto said something dirty to him and got up from his desk and hovered over the child to listen and got ready to unleash a roar of retaliation.

"What was that? Little demon?" he asked.

The golden-haired child looked up at his face and said clearly, "You want to see me cause trouble? I'll give you trouble."

"Huh?" he grunted.

Naruto then tightened his leg, swung it backward before he kicked Daikoku square in the nuts with all strength he had in his body. The old man let out a sound that echoed throughout the entire school. All of the Academy's occupants covered their ears when they heard a high-pitched scream ringing all throughout the facilities various buildings. The scream of pain was music to Naruto's ears as Daikoku fell to the floor. The boy pushed his bully out of the way as he ran out from the office and sprinted back back to his classroom. Naruto burst right through the door and surprised all of his classmates when he jumped over their heads and retrieved his backpack. All of the boys and girls in their seats gasped and screamed when Naruto jumped out the window and landed on the playground gracefully. He turned back to the window he jumped out of to see all of his classmates having gathered to watch him flee the scene of his crime. Naruto caught sight of Kiba and flipped him off before he made a break for the streets and cried out to the heavens.

"LOOK AT ME! I'M PLAYING HOOKY, YOU JERKS!"

Naruto ran with an adrenaline rush from having attacked his infuriating teacher and refused to go back. He would rather go out and practice his skills in a field than sit in a classroom and be bullied around. He wasn't going to be walked on anymore and was going to make a stand by showing Daikoku and the rest of the people in the village what he was capable of. Even if he had to hold back on his magic and chakra.

'**_That might come back to bite you in the butt, Little one._**'

'_I don't care! I've had it with people like him and that police-officer wannabe! It's payback time for Naruto Uzumaki! If I'm going to be playing the role as the loser from now on, then I deserve to at least have fun with it!_'

Naruto smiled while he ran down the street; his head held up high and his arms flying behind him as he sprint down the street and turned heads while he left behind a trail of dust in his wake. Harry watched as his younger brother let out a great whoop of excitement and finally began to showcase his inner Gryffindor qualities that seemed to have laid dormant within the child until now.

* * *

><p>{{<em>Revolution by Orange<em>}}

(A/N: Listen to this song when you read this! This song is truly awesome! MONTAGE!)

Just as he had promised Daikoku, Naruto certainly caused a hell of a lot of trouble from that point on. For the rest of the school year, he let himself be the dobe of his class while he went out of his way and found his new-found passion for pulling tricks and practical jokes on his enemies. Naruto first went out and used up a majority of his allowance on a whole mess of items such as whoopee cushions, water balloons, hand-buzzers, wires, and various mechanical devices and tools that would aid him in creating elaborate and hilarious pranks.

He started out by going to class early everyday so he could set up his devices and wait for his classmates and teacher to arrive so he could watch them unfold with an audience. It all started one morning a month from when Daikoku lost one of his testicles from the incident in his office. He sat down in his seat heavily, only for a deafening fart to explode from beneath him. He stood straight up and found a jumbo-sized whoopee cushion lying deflated under his actual seat cushion.

Naruto got up at the crack of dawn and snuck into his classroom so he could get to work on his latest idea. He used a little bit of magic to construct his next masterful creation and had Harry personally assist him. The two of them placed several jars of peanut butter and strawberry jelly on his teacher's seat only to have it magically disguised as part of the chair. When Daikoku sat down in his chair a few hors later, he jumped when he felt as if he had sat in something squishy and wet. He turned around and unknowingly showed the entire class that his butt had been decorated with peanut butter and jelly that read the phrase, 'ASS-CLOWN'. Several short seconds later, the entire classroom became filled with the sounds of roaring laughter and howling students.

After a few weeks had passed, our favorite golden-haired shinobi re-created some of what he considered to be classical forms of mischief-making. He started out with traditional cheap-tricks that involved chalkboard erasers. With Harry's guidance, he tied two chalkboard erasers to some wire. He then tied those wires to the ceiling so they would fall upon Daikoku when he walked through the door. When he arrived, Naruto pulled another string and the erasers hit his mad teacher in the head with a force that created twin plumes of white smoke. The powder lodged in those erasers covered the teacher in irritating white powder that caused him to break out in hives.

Naruto did several variations of this prank, by using buckets of toilet water, swamp-spawn, and even rotten food with grease taken from the trash outside of local fast-food restaurants.

He went a bit overboard with Daikoku when he snuck over to his house at night with his old stealth suit. Naruto had brought with him three buckets full of water balloons that were filled with rotten pudding, sweet-crème, and more swamp spawn. He set up the wires overtop all the doors of the living quarters as well as the windows. He set all the buckets at every possible exit so that Daikoku would inevitably become cascaded with an entire bucket of some of the least desirable things to be smothered with.

When Daikoku left his home for work the following morning, he was splashed in the face with a barrage of balloons that stained his good clothes, attracted various insects, and made him smell so like he came walking out of the sewers.

Naruto woke up the morning when it happened and smiled once he heard his teacher's roar of fury from all the way across the city.

* * *

><p>As the blonde-haired Academy student started causing more trouble in his town, he certainly got punished for it. He had detention nearly every single day after school and sometimes on the weekends depending on how badly he misbehaved.<p>

But it didn't matter all that much to him. As time flew by, he found himself dreading the threat and idea of punishment less and less. His confidence in himself boosted incredibly as he found himself to be clever enough to surprise and outwit his teachers and enemies with every action he took. But while his confidence in himself skyrocketed, his heart felt it lacking something he craved. The students in his class, while enjoying his antics, did not return his actions with praise or positive recognition.

He still longed to have at least one friend that he could talk to and enjoy these activities with.

* * *

><p>By the end of the school year, Naruto had settled down with all the jokes and took things more seriously again when he was faced with the fast-approaching Graduation Exam.<p>

Daikoku told his class one week in advance that each of the students had to come into a separate room and perform the three basic jutsu they were taught throughout the year in order to be allowed to graduate from the Ninja Academy. The head instructor of the school would sit down before a table with the individual student's homeroom teacher and they would evaluate each child's performance before they would decide to give them their own honorary headband that was worn by all of the legally certified shinobi in their village.

The day came almost as fast as it had been announced and Naruto sat down in his desk, waiting for his name to be called near the end. One by one, each of the students were called into the testing room in an alphabetical order, and none of them returned to the classroom.

When it was Naruto's turn to go to the testing room, he walked in to see a contemptuous Daikoku sitting next to a man with white hair parted in the middle. He looked over at the table and saw that half of the table was covered with freshly minted headbands with the Konohagakure leaf engraved into the metal. They shined with a gleam that made Naruto feel rejuvenated and excited about this previously nerve-wracking test. The desire to wear one of those around his own forehead was becoming too much for him to contain. He stood in front of them both and performed the Henge no Jutsu by transforming into a rock, then a tree stump, and finally a near-perfect copy of Sandaime Hokage. The head instructor had Daikoku hull in a large log of wood into the classroom and placed it down next to Naruto. His job was to demonstrate his skill with the Replacement Jutsu. Naruto ran through the appropriate handsigns and performed the technique flawlessly. Both teachers sat back down in their seats at the desk and wrote down their marks on the grading sheets.

The final test for Naruto to perform, just so happened to be the worst jutsu he had up his sleeve; the Bunshin no Jutsu.

While it felt as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders, Naruto calmed himself down and remembered what he had to do in order to do the jutsu right. He ran through the appropriate handsigns and let his chakra flow, creating a plume of white smoke to erupt out from nowhere. Once it cleared, Naruto's illusionary clone was sprawled on the floor, looking dead, and having absolutely no color to it. The poor child gasped and just when he was about to ask if he could try it again, his homeroom teacher announced his fate in a less than orthodox fashion.

"YOU FAIL, YOU STUPID LOSER! HA!"

With that said, the head instructor showed the small child out the door, forcing him to leave without a headband to take home with him. Naruto failed to graduate that year, even though he still did a spectacular job with performing the other two jutsu that were on the list. He needed all three requirements in order to be allowed to become a shinobi.

Before he had a chance to leave the school to go and sulk, Naruto stopped by the library to return the books he had stolen several months ago. Without the librarian there to kick him out, he dropped off the books on top of a shelve and wiped his fingerprints from them. Naruto slipped out of the main building so he could go home, but he was suddenly cut off when he stumbled upon the sight of the other children being congratulated by their proud and happy parents and families. The parents boasted loudly, saying they were never more proud of their children and how they were going to celebrate their acceptance into adulthood. Naruto felt even worse when he heard every happy cheer and yell of joy that wasn't his own.

He turned away from the crowds and walked home as quickly as he could. He did stumble upon a more enlightening sight when he saw Kiba kicking a tree in frustration as he was the only person apart from him who failed. As appealing as it was to see one of his enemies being miserable, it didn't make Naruto feel any better about his own failure. And even though he was used to being met with failure, it was still the only true test that he had ever failed.

Once he had gotten home safely, he cried on his bed until he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Two Years Later...<p>

Naruto was sitting on top of the stone head of the Yondaime Hokage, which was one of the four statue faces of the past Hokage that were carved into the mountain that hovered over the entire village. He enjoyed coming up here once in a while, just so he could get away from everything. The breeze that came from being on top of the mountain felt very nice and the sudden thrill from being up so high above the ground without any supports was just fascinating to Naruto. He often came up here ever since he was about seven or six years old so he can come up here freely and sing his troubles away.

He had just finished an all-day training session, having Harry help him through the exercises by explaining the directions through one of the books they copied years ago. Ever since his failure to graduate from the Academy on his first year, Naruto decided to take some time off of school, so that he could train his body and begin to master his chakra. In that two years time, he had grown taller, but was still considered short for his age. He was still skinny, but he wasn't bony nor malnourished. His hair had gotten longer; it was now very untidy and parted ever-so slightly on his left side, covering his lightning-bolt scar, which had become slightly more prominent. Harry was very surprised at his new facial characteristics as they resembled him in a way that made it seem like he was looking into an age-difference mirror.

As Naruto began to grow up, the whisker marks on his cheeks began to fade away as if someone had gone over them with an eraser. It was a prominent sign that the Kyuubi's influence over the child was diminishing significantly to the point where the beast's hold over the boy was nearly nonexistent. Although the foxes chakra still leaked through the bars of the cage and gave Naruto his incredibly powerful chakra resources, inhuman stamina, and his rapid healing abilities.

The boy stood up on top of the slightly jagged top of Minato Namikaze's head and clicked his fingers once he pressed them to his throat. At his touch, a golden ball of light appeared in his throat and he began to sing in a wonderful and magnificent voice.

_They'll try to hold you back_

_They will say you're wrong_

_But they will never understand, the journey that you're on_

_They'll try to change your mind,_

_They'll try to change your heart_

_But they will never understand, who you are_

Harry was relaxing on his bed in the mindscape while his little brother went on with his singing. The immortal wizard lazily waved his hand and conducted a small orchestra of instruments, providing the song with a pleasing beat to follow along with the incredible vocals.

_Can you still believe~?_

_And you know~_

_You must go~_

_Where the dream takes you~_

As Naruto sat down from his song, a spell of exhaustion unexpectedly overwhelmed him and he fell on a firm seat of solid rock. He managed to catch himself before he got hurt and leaned his back against the face of a large rock close by and took a minute to recharge his batteries.

'**_I told you that you should have just gone home and rested after all that training. But, no, you went ahead and had to celebrate with another audience-less concert. If you pushed yourself any further, you would have passed out right here and who knows what would have happened to you._**'

Naruto pulled himself back up on his feet and started walking back home, '_But today was a day worth celebrating!_'

'**_I know. Starting tomorrow morning, you're going back to the Ninja Academy. Let's just hope that you manage to graduate this year. The second time's a charm. Right?_**'

'_Pun intended?_'

'**_Oh, shut up._**'

* * *

><p>Naruto woke up the next day and got ready for school. He ate his regular breakfast of toast, cereal, juice, and fruit, brushed his teeth, took one of the first showers in his life, since he had stopped taking baths. Naruto quickly got dressed in an attire of normal baggy shorts and a slightly largish shirt. Once done, he collected his textbooks and other school supplies in his new backpack, which he decided to start decorating with beads, modeling it after a notable beaded handbag typically carried by one of the older wizard's closest friends. Once he hunch his bag over his shoulders, Naruto stormed out of his apartment and ran straight for the Academy.<p>

When he arrived at the school grounds, he joined the gathering crowds of new students with their parents and ignored his grandfather's annual speech. Naruto looked around and saw a whole crowd of new faces as well as a few familiar ones. He saw a girl with short hair that looked as if it were either purple, dark blue, or some unusual variation of brunette. Naruto looked at her closely and at first glance he thought she was blind because she didn't have any visible pupils. But then he noticed that they were a tone of pale purple and that her pupils were buried just beneath the surface. She looked very shy and nervous, but also reasonably cute. Naruto looked around for more new students; he spotted another girl with pale-blonde hair and teal-blue eyes, and his mouth hung open dumbly when he saw her and another girl close by; a girl with jade-green eyes, a slightly largish forehead, and bubblegum-pink hair.

To Naruto's misfortune, he soon spotted Kiba Inuzuka standing a few rows away from him with his slightly vicious-looking mother. Not wanting to get involved with another stare-off with Kiba, the blonde-haired boy looked around for any other guys that were his age. He saw a lazy-looking boy with a ponytail with a slight frown on his face and his hands in his pockets. He was being escorted by a man that looked exactly like him, only he was taller, scruffier, and had several scars lined all over his face. Naruto saw a very plump and round boy being escorted by a man that looked like a massive sumo-wrestler dressed up in shinobi armor.

Naruto looked around the crowd as his grandfather went on about the opening ceremony, to see that every other child except himself was being accompanied by their parent, sibling, or guardian. Before Naruto could suffer like he did the previous year, he felt a hand fall upon his shoulder. He looked around and found no one lingering over him. To make him all the more confused, he still felt that same warm hand resting on his shoulder as if someone were there, watching over him.

'**_Neat little trick. Eh, Little one?_**'

'_Harry?_' he gasped,'_You can do that now?_'

'**_Indeed. All I have to do is focus a little bit of my magic, and just like that, I can make it feel as if I were right there grasping your shoulder._**'

'_It's incredible! It feels like you're really here, Nii-san!_'

Harry focused to give Naruto the feeling that he were now warmly grasping both his shoulders.

'**_I hope it will make up for not being there on your real first day of school._**'

Naruto smiled gladly just as Sarutobi's speech was wrapping up and the list of students to their respected classroom were being called. The blonde child waited patiently for his name to be called, but he soon deflated in defeat when he heard his name called under the teacher name of Daikoku Funeno. Once the announcements were over, Naruto stormed up to the front entrance, but not before he passed by the Hokage. The boy slowed his pace to the entrance and gave Hiruzen a warm smile which was returned with a more warm and loving one.

'**_Good luck._**'

The boy bowed his head to his grandfather and heaved his backpack over his shoulder. Naruto walked down the numerous hallways and corridors until he stumbled upon his new classroom. When he entered, Naruto was greeted by a thrown paper airplane, courtesy of Kiba Inuzuka, who was laughing hysterically when the airplane got stuck in his blonde hair. The boy crumbled the paper plane into rubbish and threw it in the bin before he sat down in a seat far away from the howling dog-boy. Naruto busied himself by choosing the perfect seat for himself. He walked past the short haired girl he saw before, who blushed deeply in his presence. The boy walked up the rows and glided by the other two girls he saw before, Naruto blushing in the presence of the girl with the pink hair. He then sat down in the middle row right in-between a boy with black hair and obsidian eyes, and another boy who wore sunglasses and was dead-silent.

Harry looked around and observed the other students with profound interest.

'**_Incredible. You're in the same class as a majority of the village's most prestigious clan heirs and heiresses... Here's to flushing their careers down the toilet with your teaching methods, Funeno._**'

Naruto looked around himself but did not think much of the other children.

'_They all look pretty normal to me, Nii-san._'

The older wizard shrugged and then stopped dead in his seat on the bed. He looked over to the boy sitting next to his little brother and slowly begin to recognize him.

'**_Hey, wait a minute… I'm ashamed to know this, but that kid is the harpo guy from the day after the heist, isn't it?_**'

Naruto looked over and he too recognized the obnoxious police officer-wannabe from before and sighed, '_I'm ashamed to confirm, but yes…_'

'**_Our shame is most great..._**'

(A/N: I love Rifftrax)

Once the observations were finished, Naruto looked up at the clock and got up when he realized that Daikoku would be coming in any second. He got out of his seat and stumbled his way to the door. He opened it up to hear footsteps approaching but heard nothing and got right to work. The children in the classroom studied their strange peer with curiosity while he closed the door at a certain angle and removed a bucket of smiley green gel from his backpack and placed it above the slightly open door. Once he was finished, he dashed back to his seat with a mischievous grin on his adorable face.

The girl with pink hair stood from up and yelled at him, "You baka! You're gonna ruin the first day of school!"

Naruto ignored her and eagerly awaited for Daikoku to come in and get a face full of the messy slime he uncovered last winter. The other girls in the class, minus the shy girl from before, all yelled at the blonde-haired classmate for causing trouble so soon. Naruto ignored them as well but then a voice sounded from the intercom above their heads;

"_Attention, Classroom 2-A. Due to complications with Hokage-sama and your originally scheduled homeroom teacher, Daikoku-sensei, you will be assigned to a different teacher for the rest of the year. Thank you._"

The boy froze in his seat and turned pale at what he had just heard. He felt the eyes of the other students fall upon him before Kiba's mocking laughter broke the uncomfortable silence. Harry stretched out his senses and picked up the chakra signature of their new teacher and recognized it.

'**_Abort the mission, Little one! Abort the mission!_**'

Naruto spotted his new teacher through the window of the door and saw it was the young man that had given him some help after his first rough month of school. He jumped out of his seat, kicking Sasuke's books into his face as he jumped across two rows of seats and sprint for the door to stop his own prank from unraveling. The door began to open and the bucket of goop tipped and began its decent onto the unsuspecting head of the instructor.

Naruto saw the teacher about to be dunked and yelled out, "Wait! STOP!"

The teacher was alerted from the moment the bucket was tipped and he took a step back. Naruto tripped under his own feet and turned himself around in the process, landing on his back as the bucket fell down on him and splattered him from head to toe in funky green slime. The students took in the entire scene and once it was over started roaring with laughter and pointed. The only people in the room who found it to be anything but amusing being the unbiased teacher, the shy girl with the lavender eyes, and the quiet boy wearing sunglasses.

The tan-skin teacher looked down at Naruto with a raised eyebrow and then recognized who he was, amidst the chaos. He smiled and greeted him awkwardly, "Uhh… Hey there! We meet again, kiddo… Thanks for taking the bullet for me there…"

Naruto smiled up at his new teacher with eyes closed and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"I thought Daikoku-sensei was going to be my teacher this year… Sorry about this, sensei…"

Even though the man found the idea of his obnoxious superior getting a bucket of slime dunked on his head to be extremely funny, he wasn't one to laugh in favor of mischief making and had to be the grownup in the room. He soon frowned at Naruto and told him to sit back down after he helped him get back on his feet. The boy did as he was told and thanked him when he stopped him and said he could wash up in the bathroom after introductions were in order. The young teacher walked around the mess on the floor and stood behind his desk once he put down his clipboard and papers. He looked out to all his new students and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Hello, class! My name is Iruka Umino! You may all call me as you wish, but I would like it better if you just called me Iruka-sensei. I enjoy ramen and going to the hot springs, but I don't enjoy being disrespected or have my intelligence questioned by children that are less than half my age. From this point on, I will be your new teacher. The one you were originally assigned to was reassigned to a different class of students, due to personal reasons and unsatisfactory teaching skills. So Hokage-sama put me in charge of you guys instead. Get used to it!"

'**_So his name is Iruka Umino? For some reason, I feel like I'm going to like this guy. Unlike your previous teacher, I can actually understand what he's saying!_**'

Naruto did not let himself fall asleep this time around as the news of Daikoku not being his teacher anymore woke him up. He rested his gooey head on his hand and listened intently as his new teacher, Iruka Umino, began his very first lesson.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>There we go! Major character cameo time!<strong>

**Iruka: It's about time!**

**Naruto: You said it! I was starting to get lonely!**

**Sasuke: You could have made me more epic or something, you loser.**

**Everyone: What are you doing here? Get out!**

**Sasuke: No! I'm sick of always being tossed to the side like I'm some bad guy!**

**Iruka: You ARE a bad guy!**

**Naruto: You stabbed me through the chest when I was trying to save you!**

**Kvsyaoran: You killed off Kishimoto's equivalent to Deadpool; Deidara! You KILLED OFF Deidara!**

**Iruka: You like trying to kill off useless women; which in retrospect is not really that bad. But still!**

**LR: You killed off Itachi! He was ten-thousand times the man you ever will be!**

**Sasuke: WHAT DID YOU SAY?**

**LR: Oooooh! Watchya gonna do? Make me listen to Emo music all day? You have no power over me! HA!**

**Sasuke: (Starts charging lightning in his left hand) CHIDORI!**

**(Sasuke suddenly stops, feeling the cold steel of a large pistol pressed against the back of his head)**

**Deadpool: You gonna do somethin' to my new buddy, tough-guy?**

**Sasuke: (Practically starts urinating) I-I was just-**

**Deadpool: BANG!**

**Sasuke: (Urinates) AHHHHHH!**

**Deadpool: HA! Just kidding! BOOM!**

**Sasuke: STOP IT!**

**Deadpool: This guy is funny! Like a voice-activated Jack-in-the-Box! If that makes sense. BANG!**

**Sasuke: AHHHHH!**

**LR: This guy is the best anti-hero ever.**

**Kvsyaoran & Naruto: Agreed.**

**Sasuke: SOMEONE HELP ME!**

* * *

><p><strong>Where the Dream Takes You lyrics by Mya and James Newton Howard<strong>

* * *

><p>Please Remember to leave behind your welcome and hopefully supportive reviews!<p>


	6. The Enemy and the Massacre

"Blah" Talking

'**Blah**' Demon Speaking/Inner Sakura

'_Blah_' Naruto's thoughts/other people's thoughts

'**_Blah_**' Harry speaking to Naruto

* * *

><p><strong>ANNOUNCEMENT! Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge that, if you haven't noticed already, that I am changing the titles of some of my chapters for artistic purposes. I'm trying to go for a Rowling-style chapter title, that has a specific relevance to the context. I guess that's all I havta say.<strong>

**Oh! and that I am currently looking for an artist on deviantart to illustrate the chapters in the style of Mary GrandPré.**

**If you don't know who that is, she's the illustrator of the North American versions of the Harry Potter books. Her art style is amazing, and I personally would love to see what Naruto would look like if he were drawn in that style. I tried it out myself but... it didn't work out well.**

**Naruto: Hey, Kvsyaoran! What's that picture you're looking at in nostalgia-OH MY GOD WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY NOSE!**

**Kvsyaoran: Oh come on! It's not that bad! Is it?**

**Naruto: My nose is half a foot long! And my eyes look like tennis balls! I look like something that Picasso would shit out!**

**Kvsyaoran: Aww, come on! Don't be so harsh!**

**Naruto: What? You can take criticism!**

**Kvsyaoran: I'm talking about Picasso! Don't dis on my favorite early twentieth century artists, man!**

**Naruto: I can disrespect whoever I want! Dattebayo!**

**Kvsyaoran: Wait a minute. Where's Deadpool?**

**Naruto: Oh yeah, he went down to the torture chamber to make Sasuke piss himself some more.**

**Deadpool: BANG!**

**Sasuke: STOP IT!**

**Kvsyaoran: Oh, okay. So how's Azeroth?**

**Naruto: (Hesitantly checks on his body and still sees that there is a whole middle-section missing) He's... coming along.**

**Kvsyaoran: Oh... Well, then cool.**

**Naruto: Your drawing still sucks.**

**Kvsyaoran: It was a first try! Cut me some slack! I'd like to see you do better!**

**Naruto: Okay then, fine!**

**(Naruto grabs a pencil, paper, and a drawing board and goes to work on his own drawing for several hours. When he's done, he puts down his pencil, which is smoking hot.)**

**Naruto: There!**

**Kvsyaoran: (Examines paper and gives Naruto a blank look) A stick figure of yourself... Really?**

**Naruto: (Smiles proudly)**

**Kvsyaoran: On with the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**

**Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Bros.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: The Enemy and the Massacre<p>

* * *

><p>The first few days of Naruto Uzumaki's second year of public school did not go as he originally planned. His new teacher (Iruka) was a very kind but also very strict teacher. Unlike his first year, Naruto could actually understand everything that his sensei was lecturing on and he had a very clear grasp of what he was doing. Iruka often spoke with a clear, and well-paced voice, giving Naruto and the others more than enough time to write down everything that he needed on their notes. The only problem with having Iruka as a teacher was that he was boring.<p>

He was understandable, unbiased, but he was very boring.

Naruto often had trouble with simply trying to stay awake in class. Because unlike Iruka, his older brother kept his lectures and lessons stimulating by having him interact with the lesson and gave visual examples of key facts and events. The lack of interaction and visuals made it difficult for Naruto to hold interest in what was being taught to him. After the first few days, it became very easy for him to doze off in the middle of class. Whenever Iruka caught him falling asleep in his class, he would take whatever book or object he happened to be holding at the time and snap it against his desk to wake him up with a start. Naruto would normally apologize and try his best to stay awake thereafter, or at least make it seem like he had his eyes open and was paying attention. This was a new behavior to expect from his teacher, unlike Daikoku who would normally treat lack of attention as a declaration of war.

Naruto decided to refrain from pulling any wise tricks on his teacher, because this man didn't upset him or ever put him through any unnecessary trouble. Iruka genuinely cared about Naruto's progress as his grades were already beginning to plummet to disastrous levels. Naruto didn't have any good reason for tricking or pranking Iruka, so he put his jokes on hold until they were needed again. Though he would occasionally pull a fast one on some of the other teachers he didn't like, or the ones who refused to give him remedial lessons over the past two summers.

Everything this year seemed to run smoothly with the exception of Harry telling Naruto that he would have to keep up his role as the dead-last student in his class.

He told him that if he kept his grades low, then he would be placed on a team with two of the stronger, smarter, and more talented students in the rest of the class. Naruto was told that he could only benefit from being surrounded by the top students in the class and it would ensure his survival. While that reason wasn't enough to convince Naruto, the wizard told him the primary reason for the decision. If he pretended to be an idiot up until after his eventual graduation, then his abilities and talents would be recorded into the village archives. Should the information ever get out to the enemies of the village, they would have no true knowledge of what he was capable of. Any enemy that would oppose him would underestimate him, judging by what had been written in their informational resources. This would give Naruto a serious upper-hand in any confrontation he would approach by surprising his future enemies and facing against few obstacles.

Naruto hesitantly agreed with his reasoning and continued playing the role as the classroom idiot, thinking of how amazing he would be once he graduated.

* * *

><p>{{<em>The Norwegian Ridgeback by John Williams<em>}}

As far as Naruto's relationships were going with the other students, they could have been better.

Three weeks into the school year, he was partnered up in a history project with Sasuke Uchiha. The boy silently groaned to himself and scooted over towards him when they started working together. Sasuke went right ahead into a sort of arrogant storytelling-mode,while Naruto dug into his beaded bag for his old and battered second-hand copy of _The Ninja Academy Guide to the History of Konoha_.

Sasuke started the research with, "Alright, we should get started on the founding of Konoha... The Uchiha clan reigned across the lands known to us today as the Shinobi Lands, by conquering any weaker and more pathetic shinobi clans that stood in their way. They were usually at a strong rivalry with the equally-powerful Senju clan, until they offered a peace treaty between the rivaling families and settled their village at the center of the Land of Fire."

Naruto pretended to be reading straight out of his history book and said slowly as if reading, "But then the head of the Uchiha clan had an argument on who would be the leader of the village, turning against the rest of his clan in an attempt to overthrow the head of the Senju clan in a coup d'état. It was said that he wanted to rekindle the flames of war and throw the world back into a wonderful land of bloodshed and chaos."

"What?" asked Sasuke.

"That's what it says here," the boy flipped to the pages where the information he just quoted was and read to him clearly, "Madara Uchiha tried to overthrow the soon-to-be Shodai and Nidaime Hokage, so that he could be the ruler of the village himself and continue to reign across the Shinobi Lands and spread mindless violence and chaos. They used to call Madara Uchiha an agent of chaos, dattebayo!"

Sasuke rebuked, "No, they didn't and it doesn't go that way, dobe. They got into an argument and they agreed to battle to the end at the place that was later called the Valley of the End! Madara Uchiha never turned his back against anyone! He played fair and square and was killed in battle at the hands of the Shodai Hokage!"

"Nu-uh! It says _right here_ that the head of Uchiha clan tried to overthrow the Senju clan out of a jealous rage!" the child said back.

"Yeah right," he yelled back, "my clan wouldn't do anything so foolish! I come from the Uchiha clan and I studied that part in history before! My dad even said so, that Madara came to a calm discussion with the Senju clan and agreed to a battle for the title of Hokage! We never did anything savage or wrong! Not a single person in my clan! Ever!"

"Here we go again; the Uchiha have to be a bunch of saints in every story they're in..." the blonde boy fumed bitterly, as he closed his book, rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms.

It was then did Sasuke finally recognize his history partner and gasped, "YOU! You're the boy from that day at the schoolyard entrance! The retard that insulted my father! I knew it!"

A few seconds later, an argument broke out between the two boys that resulted in Naruto lightly slapping Sasuke on the arm, and then the black-haired boy spat in golden-haired boy's face. Iruka had to break them up and gave them both different partners for the project. Since that day, he also had to give them different seats in the class for the rest of the year. When the day of presenting their project came, Sasuke stuck with his clan's side of the story in the founding of the village. Naruto and Harry both could only roll their eyes the entire time when Sasuke made his presentation with the quite boy wearing sunglasses. From that point on, almost all of the girls in their class fell in love with Sasuke Uchiha as he presented his project, and in favor of his resentment of Naruto, the girls universally decided that they hated Naruto, much to his chagrin.

* * *

><p>Another time of a failed relationship with someone in his class was caused accidentally on Naruto's part;<p>

Two weeks after Naruto and Sasuke had their fight; Iruka was giving his class an open-note quiz. Naruto was assigned to a different seat and he was now sitting next to the girl with the bubblegum-pink hair. He learned that her name was Sakura Haruno and that she was the sharpest-minded girl in their class. Her parents, Setsuna and Toshiro Haruno, were the town's top librarians that ran the largest public library in town. The massive building that contained the most important information on shinobi history and were thus given councilmen public status. They refused Naruto any service and had him banned from the library, claiming that he had vandalized a great deal of their children's book with a crayon.

Harry warned Naruto to keep his distance from her, when he did some research on the other students and learned who the girl's parents were. He didn't approve of her and more importantly he didn't trust her. Not to mention, after hearing her constant love-proclamations about Sasuke Uchiha, he found her to be extremely annoying. He told Naruto his mistrust of the girl, but unfortunately his warning never got through to him, as Naruto quickly became infatuated by her unnatural pink hair and jade-colored eyes. He was also impressed and taken in by her stunning intellect; being able to memorize practically anything she had to learn. He loved how smart she was and wanted to get to know her better. Harry considered this to be Naruto's very first crush, and already he could hear John Williams creating a doomsday theme about it.

During their recent open-note quiz, was the first time they had actually spoken to each other. Naruto reached into for his backpack for an eraser, but he remembered that he had forgotten it at home. So he leaned toward Sakura and asked her if she had a spare that he could borrow.

"Excuse me, Sakura-chan?" he asked.

Sakura looked at him curiously and paused while he asked with a crush-induced goofy grin, "Do you think I could borrow a rubber?"

Harry heard Naruto say that sentence and immediately snorted before he howled with laughter. The other students heard him say that out loud and turned their heads towards him. Sakura paused at hearing her classmate say that supposedly provocative sentence before she shook her head angrily. When she stopped, Sakura's once soft and pretty jade eyes turned ravenous as she took a deep breath and unleashed her wrath upon the poor boy through violence.

"Naruto-baka! YOU PERVERT!"

The girl screamed loudly before punching Naruto in the head so hard that she knocked him out cold. A large bruise formed on his scalp and swelled to the point where it became visible through his hair.

Sakura didn't know nor did she understand any of the slang that Naruto was brought up with by being raised by Harry. She had no idea that he was just asking if he could just borrow an eraser from her. But having said that in class anyway, Sakura told her parents what he had said once she got home, and they demanded that Naruto be punished for traumatizing their daughter. Having no other choice, since they were on the village council, Iruka was forced to punish his student for sexual harassment and gave him an hour of detention after school the next day.

* * *

><p>About one month later, Naruto was currently sitting down in his class, lazily listening to Iruka while he went on about his lecture on chakra control. He barely paid attention and pretended to be listening while he kept his eyes glued to the chalkboard. By the middle of the lesson, Iruka put his chalk down and called upon the attention of everyone in the room, especially to those that were not paying attention.<p>

"Okay, you guys! Today we're gonna be working on the Henge no Jutsu. All you have to do is come up to the front and transform into the form of the Sandaime Hokage. Anyone up to the test?"

Not a lot of people were exactly eager to come up and show off what they could do. Some of the students didn't seem to care while some of them in the back were fast asleep, drooling on top of their textbooks and dreaming of life outside their classroom. Naruto, wanting to impress his favorite teacher and start making up for all the times he had failed him recently, lifted his hand up to volunteer. He also wanted to show the rest of the class that he still had a sliver of talent in him.

'_Nii-san, I'm gonna go up and give it a try! But this time, I wanna give it my all. Is that okay? Just this once?_'

'**_Hmm? Okay, just don't make too much of a habit out of it. We still have to keep up our pact._**'

Iruka looked to see his yellow-haired student raising his hand and said, "Okay, Naruto, come on up and show us what you can do."

Naruto jumped out of his seat enthusiastically. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his rival and went back to his books to study, while Kiba glared at his favorite victim for having woken him up by his loud and eager footsteps. The girl in the back of the classroom, who had the short purplish hair, blushed at Naruto and paid close attention to him while he got up and stood in front of the class. Iruka gave Naruto an adequate amount of room to perform the jutsu by taking a few steps backward. Once the boy was ready, he put his hands together and let his chakra flow while concentrating on the details of his grandfather's face and body. He thought of every detail that he could remember and used that mental image to construct the guise.

Naruto cried out, "_Henge no Jutsu!_"

A white cloud of smoke exploded from underneath Naruto and consumed him. Once the smoke cleared, the perfect image of Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward; with only a few minor alterations to his physical characteristics. This version of Sarutobi was slightly taller and had a longer, more neatly kept silver goatee. While the results of the jutsu were slightly flawed, the guise Naruto placed over himself was highly convincing down to the finest details. The smoke from his pipe looked incredibly realistic and the old man's infamous twinkling eyes made the disguise incredibly realistic.

Iruka smiled after examining the performance and said, "Very good job, Naruto! Good to see that you've been paying attention."

The instructor stopped and then pointed out, "But you've made one or two mistakes here; Hokage-sama is a little bit shorter and this beard that you gave him is just a little bit shorter too. But even so, you've done an excellent job! That's still worth at least a solid B+ in my book! You may sit back down now."

The other students silently gave Naruto a small amount of praise for his accomplishment, but soon went back to paying attention to the front of the room. After seeing this, Kiba growled in frustration while Naruto sat back in his seat with a proud smile on his face. The dog-boy growled at his victim while he heard two boys in the row ahead of him say something that made him unimaginably jealous and frustrated.

"Wow! I thought that Naruto was bad at everything."

"Who would have thought he could actually do a Henge so good?"

"Yeah, I bet Kiba couldn't even do it half as good as that!"

"Heh! Yeah, that Kiba sucks at disguises!"

Kiba listened to this and let his body shake with insatiable rage. He slowly looked over at Naruto and growled at the sight of his messy blonde mop two rows in front of him. He bared his teeth so hard that they felt they could shatter at any moment. He gripped his hardback textbook so tightly, that his sharp fingernails dug into the cover and through the pages. As his jealousy and rage became very visible, his canine companion whom he had brought from home (Akamaru), was starting to whine and become slightly frightened of his human owner. The small dog retreated under Kiba's desk and buried his head underneath his soft front paws.

Iruka asked the class, "Anyone else want to give the Henge no Jutsu a try?"

Kiba raised his head at his teacher and widened his eyes at the opportunity that presented itself to him. He immediately raised his hand, eager to make a guise that was more accurate and impressive than Naruto's.

Their sensei coughed, "Kiba? Well... Alright, come on up, then."

The energetic dog-boy jumped up to the front of the class, having Akamaru stay under his desk while he hopped over his classmates and stepped all over their papers and books, particularly Naruto's. Iruka yelled for Kiba to cut it out and go around, but by that time he was already passed the front row and ready to perform the jutsu. The Inuzuka quickly pressed his hands together and let his chakra flow, without concentrating on the details of the guise as Naruto had done before.

Kiba yelled very loudly, "_Henge no Jutsu!_"

The usual plum of white smoke erupted from beneath Kiba and consumed him. Once it cleared, Iruka's face turned dull while the students in the class suddenly gasped and then broke out into laughter. Kiba's transformation turned out to be a complete failure as he made the Sandaime Hokage look about as tall as one of the munchkins from the Wizard of Oz. The robes of the Hokage were the only accurate depiction of the old man, minus the fact that the red and white colors of the robes were switched. The old man's face was horribly disfigured as if someone had pressed his face against a hot ironing board for too long. His eyes had enormous bags under them, his nose was crooked, and the pipe looked like it was roughed molded from modeling clay. Naruto saw this from his seat and whooped in laughter so hard, that he almost fell out of his seat and was brought to tears.

Kiba saw the blonde child laughing at him and canceled out the jutsu to silence him, "SHUT UP!_ You're_ the loser of the class, Naruto!"

Iruka slowly dragged his hand down his face and said to Kiba angrily, "Maybe if you weren't so busy bullying others, then maybe you can manage to pay attention in class and get the jutsu right."

The dog-boy growled at his teacher, but then Iruka ordered sternly, "Back to your seat!"

* * *

><p>When the bell toned for lunch, Naruto smiled, excited to be getting a break and settling down with a thermos full of fresh Ichiraku Ramen. As the students stormed out of their seats and grabbed their lunches, Naruto reached under his desk for his meal only to feel nothing was down there. He got off his chair and looked to see that his lunch had vanished. He got up, and before he could call out to ask if someone had seen it, he heard Kiba's familiar taunting laugh. He looked over and saw he was standing at the end of the row, with Akamaru barking enthusiastically by his feet.<p>

"Looking for this?" he asked, holding up Naruto's thermos lunch in his hands.

The young wizard yelled at his bully, "Give it back, Kiba!"

He lunged for the dog boy, sprint out of the classroom, and into the numerous corridors. Naruto chased after his personal bully and growled angrily once he noticed that he wasn't getting any closer. He was tempted to use a Leg-Locker Curse on Kiba while he was still running. But resisted the urge, as it might not work effectively without a wand. Naruto followed Kiba all the way outside and through the playground and to the entrance of the park nearby. Once there, the canine-obsessed child looked at his classmate with an evil smirk and threw the thermos into the trees with all his might. Naruto watched as his thermos split wide-open after hitting the base of a thick tree branch, spilling all of his precious ramen on the ground.

"HA! How about that?" he taunted, "Not such a hot-shot student without your food, huh, bitch?"

The wizard bit down on his lip and yelled, "You're such a jerk, Kiba!"

The Inuzuka boy laughed as Akamaru barked loyally by his side. Naruto fumed as Kiba and his dog turned their tails and left their enemy alone with an empty stomach. Forgetting about his classmate shortly after, the younger boy frowned deeply at seeing insects swooping in and started eating up the mess spilled all over a nearby anthill. He shook his head at the desecration of his lunch and got up so he could sulk down at the lone swing-set hanging under the big oak tree in schoolyard. Once there, Naruto plopped down on the swing and stared at his feet, trying get his mind off of food.

Naruto's stomach growled loudly, but he tried to ignore it while he listened to the other children run and play during their break.

All was peaceful until a large shadow loomed over Naruto, forcing him to look up. He was surprised to see that the big chubby kid in his class was looking down at him with a very large bagged-lunch in his hands. Naruto was about ask if he wanted something when the large boy reached into his bag and offered to give Naruto an entire bag of barbecue-flavor chips.

"Here," said the chubby boy, "I saw Kiba throw your lunch away and I kinda felt bad. You can have these if you want 'em."

Naruto accepted the bag of chips and said, "Thank you... erm..."

"My name's Choji Akimichi. And you're Naruto Uzumaki, right?" the chubby boy smiled, and then asked.

Naruto responded with a simple nod and a smile of his own.

Choji then offered welcomely, "Come on! Shikamaru and I have this neat hideout spot!"

Naruto followed Choji to the other side of the schoolyard and walked with him into the school and to the accessible roof. He followed his new rather overweight friend to one of the balconies, where another child from their class was laying down on the roof and looking up at the clouds with a calm and peaceful expression on his face.

"Shikamaru," called Choji, "I found this kid from our class to hang out with us!"

The boy named Shikamaru lazily sat up and looked over at Naruto with a more observant expression, not smiling or frowning too deeply either. He didn't look upset or happy to see a new face, he just looked slightly irritated as if he were interrupted at an inopportune time. The young boy wore a plain, grey t-shirt, and a simple pair of brown pants with numerous pockets and blue zori sandals. He had his black hair all tied up very tightly at the back of his head, his hair sticking up very oddly, giving his entire head the subtle resemblance to a pineapple.

Shikamaru studied Naruto like some kind of ape and then said tiredly, "How troublesome... But whatever... he can stay."

Naruto smiled and sat down on another section of roof as he opened up his gifted bag of chips from Choji.

Shikamaru asked, "So... You're Naruto Uzumaki, huh?"

"I guess I am," he shrugged after taking a chip from the plastic bag and eating it.

Shikamaru closed his eyes briefly and said, "I heard you were the kid that's been causing a lot of trouble with the police and stuff."

Naruto almost choked on his next handful of chips when he said that. He coughed and sputtered while Choji tried to help him by giving him a strong smack on the back to clear his throat. Once he was cleared out and calmed down enough to talk, he questioned Shikamaru by what he meant.

"W-what d'you mean?"

Shikamaru looked back up towards the sky and said, "You've been doing some serious pranks on some of the teachers here at the school. Like the time you poured itching powder in the jockstraps in the teachers locker room and the other time when you took the motor oil and dunked all of the teachers except for ours. My dad says the police really want to lock you away for all the stuff you've done. You should really be careful and maybe take a break from all of it."

Choji said, "I don't think the Uchiha clan can arrest you for pulling a few pranks. Can they?"

"Nah," answered Shikamaru, "They aren't allowed to do that. But my dad says they really don't like you, Naruto. He keeps saying that they'll try to arrest you, once they get the first excuse they can find. So you better watch your back from now on."

Naruto asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"How troublesome..." he sighed, "It's so you won't cause a big fuss at school when we're taking a test or something. I don't wanna wake up from one of my well-deserved catnaps to see some burly, black-haired men hulling your sorry butt to prison or something."

Choji laughed, "Heh! You wouldn't care, Shikamaru! You don't even like finishing tests! Ha!"

The blonde-haired child looked to Shikamaru and said after he swallowed a large mouthful of chips.

"If that's your way of looking out for me, then I really appreciate it, Shikamaru. Thanks."

Shikamaru smirked at Naruto with his eyes closed.

"Whatever." he breathed.

* * *

><p>{{<em>The Banquet by John Williams<em>}}

In the following weeks, Naruto spent most of his free time by hanging out with his so-called friends Shikamaru and Choji. Everyday, they would meet outside on the seesaw set, the jungle-gym, or the roof of the school to sit out in the sun and talk about whatever they did in class or about their lives at home.

On this particular day, they were gathered at the jungle-gym, arriving just as the kindergardeners were going back inside. Choji planted himself comfortably on the highest platform while Naruto sat down close by him. Shikamaru sat himself at the top of the twisting slide, directly across from his other two friends. They brought their lunches with them and ate in peace. Naruto opened up his lunch, chowing down on a simple ham sandwich, Shikamaru lazily ate a meal of mackerel wrapped in kelp, and Choji went to town on three large bags of chips, three entire cupcakes, a two-inch-thick turkey and pulled-pork barbecue sandwich, with two pints of chocolate milk to wash it all down.

"Choji, I didn't know you were from the Akimichi clan. Is that right?" asked Naruto.

The chubby boy replied happily after a large bite of his sandwich, "Yup! My clan has the ability to convert our calories into chakra and use jutsu that expand our bodies to gigantic sizes!" he took another bite of his sandwich and downed some milk before continuing, "My dad says that once he's retired, then I'll be in charge of the whole family!" he drank another gulp of milk and reached for his one of his chip bags eagerly, "Thats because I'm the heir to the clan!"

"Coooooool!" the blonde child was amazed.

Shikamaru sighed after finishing his wrapped fish, "Yeah, but in order to use those jutsu, you have to eat a ton of food that has a lot of calories. And that's pretty unhealthy if you don't train your body constantly."

A wide smile spread across Choji's very round and plump face, "I beg to differ!"

Naruto looked at Choji who was now noticing the vast quantities of food he was consuming and couldn't help but feel a little worried. He watched his friend munching down on his third adult-size bag of chips and finally expressed his concern.

"Choji, don't you worry about cholesterol or love-handles-or getting really fa-"

Shikamaru heard him and bolt upright, lunging at Naruto as fast as he could. He quickly covered his mouth and muzzled him before he could have a chance to finish his sentence.

"No! That's a serious bad word for him!" he scold quietly, "Zip it if you know what's good for you!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion, "What?"

The lazy boy rolled his eyes and leaned toward his classmate to whisper something in his ear. After two and a half minutes of silence, Naruto finally popped the question, regardless of the consequences that were soon to come in by storm if he didn't act quickly.

"He gets offended if I say that he's 'fat'?"

Choji suddenly stopped eating his chips at the pace he was going. His face and eyes turned livid as he clenched the bag so tightly that several chips popped out to remain uneaten on the ground below the jungle-gym. The chubby boy turned his head slowly, like some kind of a robot, as he growled out in a voice that sounded almost monstrous.

He roared loudly, "ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT, GODDAMMIT?"

Naruto immediately shook his head in response and answered him quickly, "No! No! No! No! No! I didn't say it at you, Choji! I was just asking a question! You're not fat at all! You're pleasingly plump!"

The eruption of rage from Choji was soon subdued, as he sat himself back down on platform and greedily helped himself to more of his barbecue chips. Shikamaru, who was flung back at the sheer force of his best friend's rage, picked himself back up and laid back down on his seat by the slide. Naruto stumbled back to his place and jumped up on the monkey-bars to hang upside-down and never forget to never offend Choji about his physical appearance again.

'**_Hard to believe that that kid was such an angel to you the first time you met him..._**'

'_Tell me about it, Nii-san!_'

* * *

><p>Another few weeks had passed since Shikamaru and Choji started having Naruto hang out with them.<p>

Though their activities never seemed to exceed from hanging out at school. The two clan heirs never frequently invited Naruto to come with them to the local candy store. But that was because he kept turning down all of their previous invitations. They confronted him once about it, and the boy explained that he was banned from the candy store because the owner refused him service and kicked him out by whacking him in the head with a floor brush. He would have loved to go with them, but he didn't want to risk his two classmates from getting banned as well.

Despite how rare it was to see the three of them outside of school together, they still stood on friendly terms.

About halfway into the school year, something happened that changed their friendship for the better. Choji was hurrying down the endless corridors to get to his homeroom early when he ran into Daikoku. The unkind teacher yelled at the chubby boy for bumping into him and called him a considerable number cruel and terrible names that no teacher would ever be allowed to call a student. He pointed out poor Choji's physical faults and called him such names as fat-tits, tubby, wide-load boy, and many more horrible names.

The heir to the Akimichi clan was not seen until lunch when his only friends found him sitting on the jungle-gym and consuming the bagged lunch that his mother packed for him. When they approached him, Naruto heard a subtle sniff emanate from him and saw streaks of tears smeared all over his rotund cheeks. Shikamaru immediately came to his aid while Naruto stood there hopelessly next to the slide.

"What happened, Choji? Someone bring you down again?" asked Shikamaru.

The chubby boy replied with a slow nod of his head.

"How troublesome... What do I keep telling you, Choj? Be proud and be yourself, because you're free. Forget about what everybody else thinks of you or anything mean that they say to you."

Choji started to slow down his eating pace and calmed down while he still had a lot of food still in his mouth. Naruto felt as if he didn't belong in this conversation, having not known Choji for as long as Shikamaru has, so he kept quiet and to himself. He looked down at his feet and lightly kicked at the edge of the platform while he waited for his friends to finish up. He let out a silent sigh of breath but then looked up when he was acknowledged.

"Naruto..." said the chubby boy, "I wanted to ask you if you were up to doing something for me... To pay back for that free bag of chips a while back..."

The boy wizard closed his eyes comically and tilted his head, "What did you have in mind?"

"I want to see if you're up to pulling one hell of a fast one on Daikoku-sensei!" he said eagerly, with a fire of determination in his eyes.

Naruto opened his eyes in bewilderment, and he stared at Choji for a solid five minutes before he smirked wickedly and came up with the best idea for a prank he had in his life.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Naruto ran straight for home and locked himself in using his magic. He closed the blinds of his windows and dove underneath his bed. He quickly removed the magical seal he placed on the floor board and reached for something he hid inside it last summer. Naruto pulled out a glass jar filled with some kind of distastefully colored liquid and a white shoebox. He gave the jar a quick shake and it started to rattle and quake in his hands. He quickly took his belongings to the window of his bedroom and threw out the jar when it wouldn't stop shaking. Naruto immediately closed the door and heard an earth-shattering boom from outside. He closed the blinds and looked outside to the the area of the street where he threw out the jar. he had mistakenly created a hole in the ground and the liquid kept inside the jar was apparently acidic as he could see the sewers through the hole.<p>

He soon turned away when he heard no one was hurt and plopped down at his desk with the white shoebox.

Naruto turned on the light and removed the lid of the box before he smirked at the sight of the device he had been constructing all last summer with older brother's instructions. He carefully removed the device from the box and started getting to work on the assignment Choji provided him with.

* * *

><p>On Monday morning, the boy arrived to school early to meet up with Choji and Shikamaru in homeroom. But when he arrived, he spotted Kiba in the corner, talking to his canine familiar. Naruto ignored him when he caught his scent and looked toward his direction. The blonde-haired boy soon saw his friends sitting by the windows in the front row and approached them with excitement. Choji looked up at Naruto with a hopeful look in his eyes while Shikamaru raised his eyebrows in amusement.<p>

"So you got it?" asked Choji.

The blonde boy nodded his head and said, "Uh-huh! Got it right here!"

He dropped his beaded bag on the desk and pulled out a smaller white box than the one he had back at his apartment. He quickly opened it up and presented his friends with his latest and greatest invention to date. Naruto smiled at their mundane expressions, undoubtedly underwhelmed and underestimating the capabilities of their idiot friend's so-called ultimate pranking device.

Shikamaru asked boredly, "That's it?"

"What's it do?" asked the chubby one.

Before Naruto could explain to them what it was, he saw Kiba look over at him suspiciously and got up from his seat to investigate. Naruto quickly closed the box and tucked it back into his beaded bag, before hulling it over his shoulder.

"Can't tell you now, but trust me, it'll do wonders! It's gonna be fantastic!"

He quickly made his way out of the classroom, before Kiba had a chance to confront him about the object in the small white box. Naruto had to make sure that the Inuzuka boy didn't get the chance to steal his device, as he quickly read his intentions thanks to his studies in art of shielding his mind.

* * *

><p>Naruto managed to keep away from Kiba long enough for him to be late for class. He arrived just as Iruka was taking attendance.<p>

Iruka stated disapprovingly, "You're late."

The boy apologized and sat back down in his seat in the middle row close by the window. He soon pulled out his books and notes and got started with pretending to pay attention as Iruka was now starting his first lecture of the day.

"So in order to perform ninjutsu effectively, one must draw physical and mental energies that come from the thirteen trillion cells that make up the human body..."

Naruto looked into his backpack and opened the box to check if his device was still in check. Harry stretched his senses towards the object in his hand and felt that it was fully functional and ready to be used. The older wizard soon snapped himself back to paying attention to Iruka and listened to him as he explained how mental and bodily energies were acquired over the course of training and experience.

Naruto put the device away and focused back on trying to pay attention to the lecture.

* * *

><p>A few class periods later, the lunch bell rang and Naruto grabbed the white box and zoomed out of the classroom, zooming past his teacher and all of his classmates. He retreated outside and ran for the tree located next to the dumpster behind the school. He waited a few minutes before Choji and Shikamaru peered around the corner. He and Harry smiled in anticipation when they saw Choji carrying his backpack with him.<p>

The chubby boy asked, "Are you really up to this? You can back out if you want to."

"Did you bring what I needed?"

Choji replied, "Yeah, but it wasn't easy. I think I collected just the right amount of stuff that you needed and poured it all in this jar for you..."

The Akimichi heir removed a small glass jar from his backpack and handed it to Naruto. The boy took it and saw inside was a mixture of liquids that, when shaken properly, turned into a sickly swamp-green color. Naruto swished the jar and didn't feel any pressure build up like it did with his failed mixture back at home.

"I could have used some stuff I had at home, but it was way too unstable. I mixed up some simple swamp water, vinegar, and baking soda. Who would have thought those things when mixed together would make molecular acid?"

"What kind of vinegar were you using?" Choji asked out of curiosity as Shikamaru heard only the part about the acid.

Naruto shrugged again, "Dunno. I bought it from the foreign foods section at the supermarket. It still stinks on my hands."

Choji leaned in toward Naruto and sniffed his shirt, making Naruto feel very uncomfortable. Choji scrunched his face in concentration, as he analyzed the smell of food he picked up.

"Tanaka Brother's Vinegar. Ten years old... Also, you had Ichiraku ramen for dinner last night. Large chicken bowl with a twist of spice and a trace of carrots and various other veggies."

Naruto growled in realization, "Dammit! I asked Teuchi to hold the vegetables!"

"Concentrate, Naruto!" snapped Shikamaru, "Here's what you gotta do; go now to the second floor and make your way to the offices. Hide in the utilities closets if there are any teachers you hear coming your way. Do what you can to sneak by the receptionist. No worries on getting past her seeing as she's not a kunoichi. After your mission is done, run as fast as possible and make sure no one sees. Other than that, you should be fine..."

The golden-haired boy nodded and tucked the jar in his pocket and he took off towards the building. As Naruto disappeared from their sights, Choji smiled softly while Shikamaru sighed, "How troublesome..."

* * *

><p>Naruto made his way into a stall in the boy's bathroom and removed a small black metal and brass object from the small white box. He opened the jar and placed his hand over it, enunciating a spell that enabled him to bend the liquid to his will. Naruto opened a tiny hole inside of the metal object and then sent the long sliver of liquid and it inserted into the opening. He filled it up beyond it's expected capacity until the jar was completely empty. He closed the opening and shook it up as much as he could. Naruto stopped when he heard the door to the bathroom open up and he jumped on top of the toilet seat. He waited until he heard the flushing of a urinal and stepped back down to the floor and threw the small white box into the bin.<p>

Naruto left the bathroom, checking the hallway clock and found out that he only had eight minutes left until lunch break was over. He ran through the hallways, the device tucked securely in his pocket, while he threw his arms behind him so he could propel himself through the halls much faster. Naruto reached the stairs and jumped up to the next floor. He ran through the corridors again until he reached the main offices. Once there, he slowed down and smiled as the door was left wide open. He made his way inside the offices, taking off his shoes so as not to make any noise. Naruto ducked as he avoided being seen from the busy Muggle receptionist and snuck over to Daikoku's office. He opened the door a crack and saw him inside reading a dirty magazine featuring naked women.

Naruto scowled at him and mumbled grudgingly about stupid sensei's and perverts.

He then took out the device he had been constructing and thanked Choji mentally for having given him the perfect opportunity to finally use it. He held it tightly in his fist and had Harry focus some more magic into it to give it an extra special feature to cover his magical tracks. Once done, he opened his hand to feel the device come to life by ticking. Naruto reached for the wind-up key attached to it's side and started twisting it. He gave it two extra twists, and knew at once that it was ready.

{{_Owls & Letters by John Williams_}}

He opened his old sensei's door by one inch and Naruto dropped the device on the carpeted floor. The black device hit the ground, causing Daikoku to look up from his magazine briefly. He ignored it and thought nothing of it, but then the device on the floor sprang to life and grew tiny mechanical legs like a walking wind-up toy. As the black walker started marching along, an identical replica of it popped out from it and started walking with it's own pair of legs. And then another similar device popped out of the new one. They continued to multiply until there were at least twenty of these small devices spread all over Daikoku's office. They soon settled down and unexpectedly grew a large honking horn. The devices leaned back as their honks began to inflate themselves.

Naruto peered through the glass on Daikoku's door, while he waited for the moment that was soon to come. Daikoku laughed devilishly as he flipped to the next page of his magazine but then his eye caught sight of his least favorite student looking into his office through the window. But before he could stand up and say anything, the horrible man's office instantly became filled to it's capacity with black and green smoke that smelled like rotten eggs. He clapped his hands against his ears when he was deafened by the sounds of brass instruments and air horns going off around him. The decoys that Naruto set off started spewing out gunk that splattered such choice words as "fat-ass" and "lard-o" on the ceiling and the walls.

The boy outside laughed and pointed at Daikoku as he tried kicking his way through the smoke but inevitably fell down on his back, making a huge mess of his own office. But once the devices had run out of juice, the spell Harry placed on the original was activated and all the Decoy Detonators exploded into a thousand small pieces. Daikoku tried to pick himself up but his face happened to be right in front of the detonators when it exploded. The smoke soon started clearing up, and Naruto cleared off as fast as he could, laughing all the way back to his classroom.

"_UZUMAKI~!_" he heard his old teacher roar.

Shortly after the bell rang for the end of the lunch period, Naruto stormed back to his classroom and sat down in his seat like nothing on earth happened. His two fellow misfits both looked at him and Naruto responded by giving them both a big thumbs-up and a wink. Their sensei soon called for attendance as the students were beginning to pile in. He checked off names and looked over the seats to make sure nobody was skipping class before he was ready to start the next lesson. Iruka forgot to check off Naruto before realizing his mistake and called out for his name to make sure he got it written down that he was here. His golden-haired student announced himself and the teacher gave him a sort of weak smile of acknowledgment just as everyone else arrived and sat down. Iruka finally gathered his lesson plan and started reviewing what he had already been lecturing about this morning.

But before he could get to the teaching, the door of the classroom slammed open and Daikoku revealed himself, covered in a mess of brown and green. Two of the school's security shinobi followed him and entered the classroom to interrupt the lesson in a rather unorthodox fashion. Iruka quickly became irritated and looked at the fellow teacher in questioning.

"Is there something you want,_ senpai_?"

Daikoku searched the classroom until he looked directly at the child responsible for the devastating damage inflicted upon himself as well as his office, "HIM!"

"Me?" the child asked as everyone looked to him.

Daikoku pointed his fat finger at little Naruto and yelled, "He did this to me and he flooded my office with grime and garbage! It smells like urine and excrement in there!"

Naruto shook his head and held up his hands in a gesture that urged the aggressive teacher and his hired goons to relax.

"Now there's no way that you can prove anything-"

But then he noticed that his hands were completely covered with dirt and traces of the Decoy Detonator. He must have smeared his hands with the grime when he used the spell that helped him bend the liquid into the detonator. He didn't bother with trying to cover up his actions or deny the obvious as he knew that everyone summed up that he did what he was blatantly accused of.

"Oh bullocks..." he said.

Iruka closed his eyes and sighed, "Naruto, go to the principal's office."

The boy did as he was told and stood up only to be dragged away forcefully by the security shinobi. Iruka protested against the use of excessive force upon a student only for his opinion to be ignored. While Naruto was being dragged away, Sasuke started laughing and he took the opportunity to rub this in his face with his cheep provocations.

"What to go, moron. Let's see you criticize you're way out of this one. Heh!"

"Shut up, teme!" he yelled back.

Almost all of the girls in the classroom scowled at Naruto for having said that. The two girls that stood out above the rest were Sakura and her best friend and rival Ino of the Yamanaka clan. Sakura started screaming at her blonde-haired classmate for having raised his voice at her crush, which was quickly followed by the equally ear-splitting protests of her platinum-[blonde]-haired counterpart.

"Don't you talk to Sasuke-kun like that, Naruto-baka!" the pink-haired girl yelled.

Ino said said shortly after, "Why do we always slow everything down because of you, baka?"

Naruto sighed as he saw almost every girl in class look at him hatefully just for telling Sasuke to shut up with a good reason for doing so.

'_Why is it that the cute girls always go for the big fat jerks?_'

'**_Alas, the universe fails to make sense... Wait... You were talking about Sakura and Ms. Yamanaka?_**'

As he was being dragged away, he looked over to Choji and Shikamaru. He looked up to them and mouthed them to keep quiet just before they were going to speak up and claim responsibility. They both kept quiet but they both couldn't deny feeling a little guilty as all this trouble was their fault. Naruto looked away from his classmates and looked to the hallway as he was dragged to the principal's office for the first time.

* * *

><p>{{<em>Up To Something by John Williams<em>}}

Naruto was dragged all the way up to the highest floor of the school and taken to an area in a separate wing that stood directly above the other teachers office and the circular meeting room. The boy wizard entered a fairly large and spacious office that had a handsome oak desk and several nicely decorated chairs for those visiting. It wasn't as grand or wondrous as the office in the mindscape or the one that belonged to the Hokage, but it was still quite remarkable and fitting for a person who ran the entire educational system. Daikoku quickly dismissed the security thugs and entered the office before he roughly threw Naruto into one of the chairs while he stood.

The boy waited nervously as he had not met the head instructor personally and feared that it might be the same psychopath whom he had escaped from on the night of the midnight robbery. He stopped his endless wondering when the old teacher suddenly struck him on the head with a book out of anger.

"OWW!"

He looked up at him irritably and snarled when he looked down at him with the same look a lot of other people have given him for years.

"You're gonna get it this time, demon! You can't kick your way out of this one! You're gonna fry!"

Daikoku suddenly stopped getting into his ex-student's face and stood up straight, looking as if he were waiting patiently while suppressing his impatience. Naruto stopped rubbing his sore head and looked up to see a man in his late twenties/early thirties walk in from the other door.

The man was tall, pale, and had glassy silver-grey eyes. He had bluish-white hair that was parted in the middle and framed his slender and pointed face. He wore the typical chunin uniform and nothing else that particularly stood out and made him unique. The wizards observed him carefully and soon determined that this person was the same person that was on guard that night when Naruto extracted the books from the library. He could remember how blood-thirsty his voice sounded when he was pursuing him through the dark corridors. The whistling of the shuriken he threw at Naruto still ringed in his ears at this very moment.

The instructor sat down in his seat and read the report that was placed on his desk.

He spoke out with a surprisingly calm voice, "What's the problem this time, Daikoku? Another prostate tumor?"

"I'll tell what the problem is!" the teacher barked madly, "This little shit-stain vandalized my office and nearly blew my ears out! Now I called for his expulsion last time he was here, but you said that-"

Before he could continue ranting the head instructor said, "Daikoku, could you please just piss off for a minute?"

Naruto raised his brow at the principal while Harry stopped sipping his tea and raised his brow too. They had no idea that the head instructor would say something like that to another teacher. Daikoku looked surprised and downright insulted. But for some reason, he listened to him and lowered his head in submission. He turned around to leave, but not before shooting one last death-glare at Naruto and made an unfriendly gesture that implied Naruto to die painfully. The unsatisfactory teacher shut the door loudly and then silence permitted the office for several uncomfortable minutes.

He looked up at the white-haired instructor and twitched slightly when he felt a sharp pain shot across his forehead. Naruto lightly pressed his fingers against his forehead and rubbed it when he thought he was getting a headache. The teacher hardly noticed the gesture while he crossed his legs and put his hands together, intertwining his fingers as he was intrigued to finally meet this particular troublemaker.

"Well… Naruto Uzumaki… Our brand new celebrity…" he said slowly.

Harry rolled his eyes at his charismatic behavior, '**_Could this man talk any slower?_**'

The Academy student resisted the urge to laugh and upheld his look of uncomfortableness as the instructor tried to break the ice and make introductions.

He started by asking, "Do you know who I am?"

"Sorry, no." the boy shook his head while his forehead continued to burn slightly.

The principal cleared his throat and spread his arms out slightly, his left arm twitching slightly, "My name is Mizuki Tōji. I am the principle and master of the Konohagakure Ninja Academy..."

'**_Yeah, this guy doesn't have an ego or anything at all. Such a noble display of modesty._**'

Naruto couldn't help it at all. He gave in and giggled from at his older brother's joke. The very subtle laugh was audible enough for Mizuki to hear him and his previous smirk dropped down to an unpleasant frown, while the man's sharp eyes changed and made him look reasonably intimidating. It almost looked, by just looking at his eyes, that he was about to jump and attack like some vicious animal.

"You think that's funny, Naruto?" he asked, "Laughing at me after I had you come here for that stunt you pulled in Funeno's office? That was borderline criminal vandalism, and we consider that action as offensive and rude. It's going to take several weeks to reverse that damage, not to mention the documents Daikoku had in his office were destroyed in the process. You still think that's funny?"

Naruto slowly lowered his head to the man as he found him to be unexpectedly intimidating. He looked into his eyes and could tell he must have been using every once of his being to keep himself glued to his chair and calm about the slight laughter. It greatly reminded him of his wrathful behavior during the incident at the library. Mizuki seemed to start calming down as his sharpened eyes started to soften, though that did not make him look any less dangerous or fearsome.

The instructor asked him insistently, "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" the child asked.

"Don't act like an idiot," he said with a sharp tone, "How did you manage to sneak into Daikoku's office and place a timed stink bomb in the middle of his office, that projectile-vomited rotten sludge alongside an extremely loud noisemaker? We found bits of your work scattered all over his office. Now how did you do it? I really want to know how it was done."

The boy responded with a dumb answer, "Because... I'm very good at it?"

"I don't appreciate that, Uzumaki! If you want to graduate by the end of this year, then you have to stop being smart with your superiors and be smart with your-"

The head instructor had lost himself in anger for a few short moments before he stopped speaking and froze like a statue. He sat back in his chair and and forced himself to relax. he took a minute to take a breath before he reached into his desk and took a few small pills from an orange capsule without gulping down some water. He took a few more slow breaths while Naruto looked to him fearfully and kept his back glue to the back of his large chair as if he could move it backward.

"My apologies... You see... What I'm trying to do here is help you out. I want you to understand that, Naruto."

The boy nodded nervously.

"You see... I'm not trying to be your enemy... I'm trying to see your reasoning as to why you felt you should have bombarded your old sensei's office and how you managed to do it..."

Naruto answered him slowly, "It was because..." he paused and tried to put up one of his invisible mental shields so that Mizuki couldn't tell that he was lying through his teeth, "I was just having an off day and I took it out on my old teacher from last year. I took this giant stink bomb I got on the internet and threw it into his office when he wasn't looking. The bits you guys found were just part of the noisemaker. I don't really know how it works." he closed his eyes tightly and rubbed the back of his head as he put up his mask, "I turned up the volume too high when I set it off and it must have blown up! Heh!"

Mizuki observed Naruto's facial expressions but couldn't find any sign that he was lying. It seemed to him that this boy was just another idiot student of Iruka Umino's who wanted to show off to compensate for his failing grades. He slowly let out a breath of air as he crossed off this child from his list of suspects that he happened to be holding in his hands. Naruto couldn't see it, but it was certainly there, with only a few children's names were left on it.

"Well... That certainly answers some of my questions."

The man reached out for a pencil on the far side of his desk but then he stopped and flinched. He retracted his arm and started massaging his left shoulder blade. Naruto noticed the gesture and deduced that Mizuki must have injured his shoulder when he tried breaking down the door that one night.

"Excuse me." he said in an almost apologetic voice, "But ever since I got my shoulder dislocated by that maniac robber a few years back, my left arm hasn't been the same. He tried to ripping clean off..."

"I thought you broke your shoulder trying to break down a locked door."

Mizuki froze in his seat and slowly looked at the blonde child with those menacing grey eyes, "Who in the world told you that?"

"No one..." the boy shrugged foolishly, "It's just what I heard... people talk about..."

After Naruto quickly covered up his tracks, the head instructor refused to look away from him. He stared into those magnificent blue eyes of his until he could find something in them. Naruto never felt more uncomfortable in front of another human being in his life and the increased intensity of his burning headache wasn't helping him. He gulped when he saw the same look in the principal's eyes from when he first saw him face-to-face falling down that garbage shoot. The sound of his enraged voice echoed in his perfect ears and the whistling of those shuriken following the clangs of metal grinding into more metal caused him to jump at the same time Mizuki finally averted his gaze and searched for a yellow slip of paper.

"I think this concludes our little chat... Because of your actions today, I will let you off with a fair warning..." the instructor paused and wrote down something on a spare piece of paper and then gave it to the child,"... and two days of detention starting on one of these two dates. You choose which one."

"Uh...Thanks... Mizuki-sensei..." he thanked after he too the paper slip.

The boy stood up and walked out of the office but not before Mizuki called out to him calmly, "Let's just try to avoid anymore _unnecessary entanglements_ in the future, Naruto Uzumaki..."

* * *

><p>'<strong><em>Okay! That man was mad!<em>**'

'_You said it! At least he didn't have me expelled for defacing a teacher's office..._'

'**_Good point there, actually..._**'

When Naruto left school late that afternoon, he traveled around the city for a little bit so he could take in the newly erected sites around town. In a few days, it would be the tenth of October when the village celebrated the annual festival that marked the ninth-year anniversary of the Kyuubi's defeat at the hands of the Yondaime Hokage. October tenth also happened to be Naruto's birthday, and he would be turning nine years old in a few weeks.

Every year on his birthday, the boy wizard would receive a personal gift from the Sandaime Hokage. The old man would contact one of his friends outside the village and personally deliver an entire homemade package of treacle tart, one of Naruto's favorite desserts. Harry often envied his little brother for being able to eat one of those every year and fumed when he was forced to watch him eat it, for it too was his favorite food from the time when he was alive. But while the older wizard wasn't scowling at the child, he would allow Naruto to buy one particular gift in the market, no matter what it was he wanted. In the past several years, Harry taught him how to manage his money and be able to afford the small luxuries the child bought for himself each year in the fall.

For this particular year, Naruto wanted to be able to attend the festival without the aggressive villagers snuffing him out or beating him up. He wanted to buy a mask so that he could have fun with everyone else and no one would be able to recognize him. He checked for his money bag and found his tiny fortune waiting to be traded with.

'_Harry! I'm going to see what they got in the market place, okay?_'

'**_Okay, then... Just make sure you know what you want this year. Don't just buy anything stupid and waste all your money._**'

'_Isn't that the point of buying something for my birthday?_'

'**_Meh. Good point._**'

Naruto walked down one of the main streets in town and found a stand that sold festival items to children. He looked over at the stand and saw a line of masks that had painted pictures of animals, heroes, and other faces. The blonde child saw a magnificently neat mask that was shaped like a heart, painted purple, red, green, and yellow with spikes lined around it's edges. Naruto saw the price, but then he sighed when he realized he couldn't afford it. The child soon looked up at a nice little lion mask that was about his size and decided to buy it before anyone else would. Lions were one of his favorite animals to date since he was in Gryffindor House.

"Excuse me, mister? How much is that mask over there?" he asked kindly.

The clerk looked down at Naruto and gasped in horror when he recognized him, "What are you doing here? Leave me alone!"

Naruto twitched at the man and looked hurt and a little scared, "A-All I wanted was a mask for the festival, sir. I didn't mean to-"

"DON'T HURT ME! I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE! You're not welcome here!" he screamed like a woman.

The man had earned a considerable amount of attention as the other civilians in the area started to defend the coward salesman. Some local teens shouted at the innocent child and even an Uchiha officer threw trash at Naruto to scare him down the street, and it worked as Naruto retreated down another street. He continued to run until he reached the public park and rested on a bench across from an old war memorial. He rested himself on the bench for several minutes to catch his breath and tried to shake off his most recent brush from the hateful civilians. Naruto took a hand and embossed it with his magic so that he could clean off all of the rotten food and grime on his clothes.

With all that happened in the last few minutes, Naruto forgot about giving himself a present for his birthday this year and just wanted to go back to his apartment. He was far too upset to think or care about such materialistic things.

He started making his way back to the apartment while he tried his absolute best to ignore all of the stares and glares he received along the way. Naruto looked out into the crowds of people and could recognize the faces of several villagers and shinobi that have harmed him over the years. They were now joined with new faces, all of them sharing that same cold stare that chilled him and caused his insides to feel churned. He couldn't understand why they hated him so much and wondered for the umpteenth time their reasons for acting this way. Naruto speculated on the subject and wondered if maybe these people knew he was a wizard. Or perhaps, he guessed, there was something horrible that he did in the past but simply couldn't remember.

No matter how many questions he had swimming in his thoughts, Naruto couldn't come up with a single answer for any of them.

As he entered his apartment, he heard the door of his landlord slam wide open with the sound of a gunshot. Naruto whipped around and saw his landlord with a deranged look on his face, a bottle of gin in one hand, and a knife in the other. The boy screamed as he ran all the way up to the top floor of the building and stormed into his room. He quickly locked the door with the given locks and even used his magic to strengthen his defenses. Naruto jumped when the door nearly broke off it's hinges and the sound of Toshi's drunken fist pounding against the door boomed from the other side. The small boy pulled the table of his cramped hallway and wedged it against the door.

"OPEN THIS DOOR, DEMON! GIVE ME THE RENT OR I'LL KILL YOU!"

'**_It's going to be okay! He won't get in with that spell cast on the door. Go to your bedroom, Little one._**'

Naruto did as he was told and retreated into the bedroom and locked the door there with more of his magic. Naruto did the spell over and over again, still hearing Toshi trying to break down the door with his fist and knife. He jumped again and almost sobbed in fear when he heard the sounds become more powerful as Toshi probably started using something else to break down the door. Naruto then hid underneath his bed, taking his blankets and pillows with him. The poor child was on the verge of crying, before he focused inwardly and retreated into the mindscape without falling asleep this time. The physical world of his apart soon vanished and he appeared on top of his older brother's gigantic bed with the wizard there waiting for him.

Naruto lunged for Harry and started weeping. The young man let the child sob all he wanted and never pushed him away until he finally calmed down and the threat of the apartment manager had passed.

"Why?" he asked miserably as he refused to let the wizard go, "Why do these people do this to me? What is wrong with them? I didn't do anything to them!"

The wizard stroked the hair upon his little brother's head and patted him on the back as the boy's curiosity never seemed to cease. Harry frowned slightly when he realized that he had inherited this trait; an unyielding desire to find out the truth and solve a mystery when it was out there in from of him. Harry could feel the moment he had been dreading for almost three years was soon about to come with the next question.

"Harry... why is it that Daikoku-sensei and everyone else hates me so much?"

The older wizard did not say anything as he paused briefly from comforting his little one and went right back to it, failing to come up with an excuse and refusing to lie to his one and only brother. Naruto removed himself from Harry and looked up to him with a face wet with tears.

"You know why they hate me, Harry... I know you do…"

The older wizard paused and tried to think of how he would tell the truth to Naruto without hurting him in the process. He didn't want this day to ever come, but it seemed as though it was inevitable. Harry soon removed Naruto from his lap and stood up to walk toward the door that led into the infinite hallway where Harry had found both Naruto and the Kyuubi respectively.

He gestured for Naruto to follow him, by unveiling the corridor, "Come with me, Little one… It's about time that you learned the truth…"

* * *

><p>{{<em>The Boy Who Lived by John Williams<em>}}

That night, Naruto lay wide awake in his bed in the real world, still processing the truth that had been revealed to him.

He found out that the Kyuubi no Kitsune was sealed inside of his stomach. The strange tattoo seal that sometimes appeared around his navel when he was molded his chakra finally made sense to him. At first, he tried to deny it when he collapsed inside of the the beast's prison chamber. He shook his head and tried to convince himself that it was a lie until his voice almost woke up the beast from it's slumber. The foxes chakra reached out in between the bars and tried to attack Naruto. But Harry was with him and he fled the child from the scene before it could even touch him. The two of them settled down in Harry's chambers and talked about it for several hours.

All of the years of persecution, prejudice, and pain all became clear and apparent to young Naruto.

At first, he hated all of the villagers for not being smart enough to realize that he and the fox were two separate beings, not one in the same thing. For a short amount of time, Naruto wanted to go back into the forbidden chamber, draw out the foxes power, and teach the villagers one hell of a lesson for treating him the way that they did. But then Harry asked him how he would feel if someone else were in his shoes, if the Yondaime Hokage chose someone else that night, if Naruto had lost his parents at the hands of the beast, and then asked him what he would do to the person that contained the thing that killed those most precious to him. Naruto slowly admitted that he would probably do the same thing that the villagers had done to him for years.

He quickly understood why he had been receiving those looks that everyone had been giving him, the eyes that were so cold that they could make the harshest of blizzards pale in comparison. Despite the fact that he now understood the villagers and a majority of the shinobi population, it didn't mean that what they had been doing up to this point was right. It was still very wrong to have him be so lonely and scorned by so many people.

It was there that Naruto decided it best not to lose himself to hatred and be the better man if he wanted to become the next Hokage. Because once that day would come, he felt that the people of Konoha would have no other choice but to honor and worship him once he stood tall on his throne. They would have no other choice but to apologize for their actions and honor the very ground that he walked on.

While he still looked toward the future, Naruto couldn't help but think back to the past and feel miserable now that he knew this thing was inside of him and that he could never get rid of it. The fact that one of the most powerful and violent beings on the face of the earth was sleeping in his body was nothing short of terrifying. He could only hope that the protective enchantments that Harry placed to keep the fox at bay would hold forever more.

* * *

><p>{{<em>A Longing to Leave by Murray Gold &amp; BBC National Orchestra of Wales<em>}}

For the next two weeks, Naruto isolated himself from the rest of his classmates and kept unnaturally quiet ever since he discovered the truth. He never had the chance to interact with Choji and Shikamaru, but the two children assumed that their blonde-haired friend was going through some personal troubles and left him in peace until he was ready to hang out with them again. Both of them looked a little worried and wanted to aid their friend, but the two of them felt neither one of them could understand, let alone help him, as much as they wanted to.

The other students didn't pay that much attention to him, not that a lot of them cared about him. The other students didn't even seem to notice that they had gone by two weeks without any of Naruto's ridiculous antics. Most of them decided to pretend that he didn't even exist while those few bullies he had in the class decided to continue to terrorize and push him around before they were eventually caught and then punished by Iruka, who seemed to watch out for Naruto when he was in class

When the bell rang for the end of the day, Naruto spinelessly slipped out of his seat and packed away his things into his beaded rucksack. He was about to walk out the door when Iruka suddenly stopped him.

"Naruto, could you please hold on for a second?" he asked.

The blonde child couldn't help but feel thankful for being stopped by his favorite teacher, but he also felt incredibly guilty after finding out that the Kyuubi was responsible for the deaths of both of Iruka's parents. Naruto was truly astounded that his teacher never hated him, feared him, or even threw a single mean or cold look at him. Harry speculated that the teacher probably saw his little brother for who he truly was, when he first met the child outside the school before he even knew his name. Not to mention that Iruka followed close in Sarutobi's footsteps and beliefs, so he was one of the few Konoha citizens that wasn't a total idiot and didn't hate Naruto or even feel indifferent towards him.

But that didn't make the child feel better about the facts that he could never unlearn. He wished with all his heart that he was never chosen to host such a fate.

Still, Iruka sat down in his desk chair while Naruto decided to stand while he listened to his favorite instructor and now his mentor.

"Naruto," the teacher started, "You've been kind of out of it these past few days and it's been sort of... odd for you... Is there something that's been going on at home that I should know about? Anything you need to tell me? Because I'm here, and I want to know what's the matter."

The child hesitated for a moment while he thought carefully and figured there were a lot of things on his mind that he wanted to tell his teacher; he was scared to death at the possibility of his secret being found out, the fact that he was a wizard with unbelievable talents, the Kyuubi being inside of his navel, and all of the number of conflicting emotions that were churning inside his heart at having to have been hiding his true self for over two years. The child wanted to vent out his feelings and talk to his teacher, a man that he could trust after he had been so fair and so nice to him after all this time. But Naruto still felt horrible with the truth concerning the Kyuubi, and it prevented him from letting it all out. He still appreciated the fact that his sensei cared about him and thanked him regardless. He had to get used to the fact about the beast within him and carry the burden on his shoulders.

Naruto smiled to his sensei with a false-smile and said, "Nothing, sensei! I've been so tired! I better be off now. I gotta study for the quiz tomorrow."

The child hulled his rucksack over his shoulder after Iruka remained in his seat, a little dumbfounded before he nodded to his student and let him return home.

Naruto waved to his sensei as he left, "Thanks though! See ya tomorrow, Iruka-sensei!"

"Alright, good luck, Naruto! Keep to the books!" he waved waved back and called out.

Iruka watched his student leave through the door and watched him as he crossed the schoolyard. When the small boy disappeared from sight, he sighed and kept on wondering what it was that he was doing wrong as he was failing to help improve Naruto's declining grades.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later, Naruto went to sleep peacefully for the first time since he learned about the demon fox. His older brother was sprawled on top of his bed, staring up at the sky as watched the stars. Feeling slightly bored, he stretched out his senses to see if his younger brother was going to sleep or coming into the mindscape. He sensed that he was just now passing in through sleep and trying to reach him. The young man almost let go of his stretched-out senses when he picked up something strange. He felt as if a life-force out there in the real world suddenly cried out in terror before being silenced.<p>

He stretched out his senses to their maximum and sensed several thousands of people spread all over the village. Harry could sense them as would a shinobi pick up chakra signatures, but for some reason he felt the life forces of other humans out there as if there were lit candles. He felt several strong life-forces thrive before they were swiftly extinguished with the subtle sounds of desperate cries or roars of protest. Somewhere out there, people were being murdered in mass numbers.

'**_Naruto! Wake up! Something's wrong!_**'

The boy woke up with a start and darted his head from side to side. Naruto grabbed the kunai resting on his bedside table, ready for an oncoming attack.

'_What is it?_'

'**_Go outside to the roof! Now!_**'

{{_Through the Trapdoor and In The Devil's Snare by John Williams_}}

Naruto did as he was commanded and opened his window. He leapt onto balcony and jumped up to the roof of the apartment building. The boy looked around him in all directions in search of whatever his older brother sensed. Harry could see everything that his brother could see and tried to search for a sign of violence he picked up. Naruto could see out in the distance out at the far end of the village that several lights to some homes and stores were starting to go out as if there were a power failure. Harry zoomed his vision in through Naruto and spotted a shadowy young man destroying a jump-box and cutting the power of the section of town that had solid walls built around it that were emblazoned with red and white fire fans.

'**_It's the Uchiha compound!_**'

Naruto darted back into his apartment and dove under his bed to put on the old stealth outfit hidden underneath the old floorboard. He immediately put the clothes on and his goggles. He stormed for the balcony window and jump onto the rooftops of the village.

'_What do I do, Harry? I don't know what I'm doing here! Should I go over there and stop it myself?_'

'**_There's no way you'll be able to handle this situation on your own! It's too much for you! Go to the ANBU, or better yet, get to the Hokage and warn him immediately!_**'

The wizard still had his senses stretched out at their maximum and he could feel more and more human souls fading out of existence.

Naruto dove down into an alleyway and ran towards the Administration Building located at the heart of the village. He knew that where he would find Sarutobi, who was probably up late in his office finishing some of his paperwork. The boy ran as fast as his legs could carry him, almost running over a person that he could have sworn looked just like Sasuke Uchiha. But he didn't stop to look back and continued to run to the large building at the center of the village.

'_But Nii-san!_ _Even if I tell anyone, who would believe me?_'

'**_Calm down, Little one. Here's what you need to do!_**'

The wizard quickly ran through his plan with him, even while he felt more and more of the souls of the Uchiha were disappearing. The boy listened to him carefully and got ready by putting his hands together and placing a disguise over himself while his brother tried his best to disguise Naruto's chakra signature, so that the old man wouldn't know it was him.

Naruto jumped out of the shadows and emerged out in the moonlight in the form of a standard ANBU, who were the black-operation soldiers who were under direct order of the Hokage himself. They were the undercover soldiers who protected the village from exceptional threats, conduct high-risk missions into enemy territory, and dealt with extremely strong ninja. They were also responsible for carrying out assassinations, tracking, surveillance, and missions requiring specially trained shinobi.

The boy had disguised himself as a perfect copy of one of those soldiers he once saw when wandering the streets and looking for a training ground to practice in. The disguised Academy student ran through the streets and finally reached the Administration Building. He burst through the doors, frightening the Muggle receptionists but she let him pass seeing him as another of the Hokage's personal shinobi. But then Naruto was intercepted by two actual ANBU when he entered the first dark hallway that led to his grandfather's office.

"Where are you going? What's your registration number?" one of them asked in demand.

'**_Confundus Charm. Now!_**'

Naruto lifted his fingers in front of the two guards and felt Harry give his arm a rush of his own magical power to amplify the effects once he cast his spell.

He enunciated clearly, "_Confundo!_"

A flash of blue light emitted from his fingertips as the ANBU both faltered in their steps and almost fell over. Naruto convinced them to stay put and that he was delivering a special message to the Hokage. Once they let him go, he sprint his way up the stairs and finally entered the floor where Sarutobi's office was located. He burst through the double doors, interrupting Sarutobi as he was tinkering with a strange silver whistling instrument. The old Hokage that Naruto saw and loved as his own grandfather looked up, not recognizing the soldier in front of him as his own grandson.

"Cat? What is it?" he asked.

Naruto hid away his voice as Iruka taught him, and he said with a deep voice, "Hokage-sama! There's something wrong at the Uchiha Compound! There were bodies everywhere! Somebody out there is killing them one by one!"

Sarutobi adopted a strange, dark look of shame before he looked up with a fire of determination and focus that Naruto couldn't help but feel astounded and inspired at seeing.

"Very well. I'm off."

The Hokage vanished out of thin air, which surprised both of the wizards. The disguised child having never seen his grandfather move so quickly, and Harry for he had never seen a shinobi move so quickly that he almost mistaken the movement for Disapparation. With the disappearance of the old man, Naruto had fulfilled his purpose but he decided to stick around and find out what was happening to the Uchiha clan. He dropped the disguise and retreated into the large cabinet that Sarutobi had in his office, containing spare robes and suits of shinobi armor. Naruto hid himself there in between sets of white and scarlet robes and closed the door. He had Harry help with hiding his chakra signature and placed a huge amount of magic into his outfit that actually made him completely invisible. There he remained patiently to find out what had happened, hoping that he had made a difference in being the only person aware of the event.

Naruto then realized that the kid he had run into getting here was definitely Sasuke Uchiha. He could only hope that he didn't fall victim of whatever or whoever was killing the others.

He may have hated Sasuke, but he never wanted him dead.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Sarutobi arrived with two other ANBU. Naruto kept the cabinet door closed and almost gasped when Sarutobi opened it. But to his relief, he was only removing his shinobi armor and putting it back into the cabinet. He didn't sense or see Naruto sitting right there below him, indicating that Harry's enchantments worked flawlessly. After the old man returned the armor, he closed the door but accidentally left it open a crack. The invisible boy peered through the crack and saw his grandfather putting his honorary robes and headpiece back on. He sighed sadly and the conversation began between him and several of his most loyal soldiers.<p>

"How many were there left, sir?" asked one of the ANBU.

Sarutobi shook his head, "No one... Sasuke remains the only Uchiha left in the entire village... He's all what's left of them now... His parents, family, they're all gone..."

Naruto cupped his hand over his mouth and couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Uchiha clan was gone?

"Sasuke is all what's left of them? Who did it?"

Sarutobi hesitated and said at last, "It was his older brother... Itachi Uchiha... He left a message written in blood... It confirmed that he was the who killed them... Something in him must have snapped... being the heir of one of the most powerful families in the world must have been a lot of pressure on him... This child graduated from the Academy at age seven, became a chunin at age ten, and then accepted into the ANBU at age thirteen and became a captain... Perhaps ending all of the pressure meant he had to eliminate the source of it all... The people who expected the most out of him..."

"Why would he do this? I knew Itachi! He loved this village and especially his little brother!"

The old man answered, "Like I told you, something in him must have snapped... He must have been suffering for a very long time... His father did keep on pressuring him with responsibilities of being the future face of the Uchiha and being in the youngest recorded recruit of the ANBU... It was reported that he wasn't being himself for the past few months... and that he might have killed Shisui Uchiha when his body was found a month ago at the Naka River... He must have been slowly losing his mind and Shisui was the first to go in Itachi's purge..."

"What about the boy? Sasuke Uchiha... What will happen to him?"

Sarutobi said slowly, "Itachi must have placed him under a very powerful genjutsu... He's been unresponsive and he's now checked into the hospital... I pray that he will not lose his light in all this... He must be in so much pain right now... He's lost his mother, father, his cousins, uncles, aunts, and was betrayed by his own brother... He has no one else to go to... He's become another orphan of the village... I will do my best to remind him that he is not alone..." he sighed again and then said, "I must be off to see him... He will need my help... You and the others are dismissed..."

The Hokage made his leave, taking his traveling cloak with him and leaving alongside his soldiers. The ANBU locked the door to the office behind them, leaving Naruto to finally drop the extremely powerful concealment spells that kept him hidden and made his escape from the cabinet. When he escaped through one of the windows, he slowly made his way back home, somehow able to avoid being seen.

* * *

><p>{{<em>Harry and Dumbledore Discuss the Mirror by John Williams<em>}}

Naruto entered his apartment several hours before dawn would be due to arrive. He failed to alert his landlord when he closed the door behind him without taking precautions, removed his stealth suit and goggles, as he entered his room and hid them away underneath the floorboard.

"It's my fault..." he despaired, "They didn't get there in time... And now Sasuke is all alone..."

The boy collapsed onto his bed and tried to hold back the tears that were welling up in his sapphire eyes. Naruto curled up in his bed and sobbed as he felt Harry's hand rub into his hair and heard his voice comforting him in his head until his voice became real and he phased into the mindscape. Harry wrapped his arms around the sobbing child and started rocking him gently like when he was a tiny toddler.

"It's not your fault at all, Little one... You did your best and you did so well..."

Naruto sniffed in despair, "I could've dueled Itachi... I could have stopped him with a simple flick..."

"No, you couldn't have..." he interjected softly, "You aren't ready to face someone as powerful as Itachi and you know that..."

The small boy collapsed back into tears and buried his head into Harry's chest, "He killed them... he killed his own family... Why would he do that?"

The child sobbed into Harry's shirt and the older wizard stroked his hair. Ever since Naruto dedicated himself into accepting the role as the dobe, he usually paid a significant amount of visits to the mindscape so that he could cry in peace. He didn't want people to know how sensitive he was, so he would come here to let all of his tears out whenever he had a bad day. To the outside world, his face was dry of tears and he was immune to the constant glares and taunts of the other students and the villagers. It was only in this mindscape did he ever let himself cry and it was only Harry who was allowed to see him when he was at his most vulnerable.

Harry consulted his little brother, "Sometimes... people do things for reasons that seem good to them, but the thing is that no one can truly understand or explain it. Unless you could get into Itachi's head and take a good look inside could you ever have a chance of understanding his true reason for destroying his own flesh and blood..."

Naruto looked up and asked, "Do you think _we_ could?"

"Perhaps," he answered with hesitation, "but it will take a lot of training. Your shields in Occlumency are very good, considering your age... But you're not even close to be ready to handle practicing Legilimency at this point... It's far too advanced magic, even for you..."

The child sniffed sadly, "What about Sasuke? What should I do to help?"

Harry sighed and gave the idea some thought.

This Sasuke boy could maybe end up as he did with the whole act of the avenger that was inevitable to come. The child will no doubt seek retribution for having everything taken away from him. But the wizard highly doubted that someone like Sasuke Uchiha would end up like himself, seeing as the child was so much older when he lost his loved ones. It was made evidentially clear that Sasuke knew and loved the murderer before it happened, and the more likely outcome was that the child would become consumed with thoughts of revenge, especially given the fact that they lived in a society where children were trained to learn how to fight and kill.

"Don't treat Sasuke any differently, but you should let him know that he isn't alone in this world... The last thing he needs right now is pity... He may push you away, but don't let that get to you too much."

The wizard rubbed Naruto's brilliant golden hair as he looked up to him for the answers and he sighed.

"No magical training for tonight, Little one... Just sleep..."

He held Naruto and rocked him until he was asleep, Naruto occasionally asking him questions and Harry answered them willingly.

"Why do I feel so guilty about this?" was the last question he asked.

Harry answered him with, "Because you're a very troubled person, Naruto... You're used to getting into trouble and feeling responsible for things that aren't even under your control."

The wizard soon tapped his throat and a golden light appeared under the skin of his neck while he sang the lyrics of O Children to Naruto until he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Harry laid him down on the bed and tucked him in to bed while he continued to sing in the softest voice. He pulled up a chair and decided to watch his child as he slept just like when he was little.

Looking at this little boy who had become the very reason for his existence. The only thing that prevented him from having a moments peace to himself, was also the one thing he could never live without.

When he thought about it, Harry was very glad and even thankful for his screw-up in the last moments of his human life when he tried to keep his soul earthbound and failed. He wouldn't want to trade his time with Naruto for anything. The child sleeping soundly in his bed was now his pride and joy. The emerald-eyed wizard looked down at his only child and couldn't believe how far he had gone and how much he had improved since the day they first met.

Naruto had become a fast learner when things were explained properly to him, just like how he himself learned back then.

As far as everything magical that was going on in Naruto's life, he was improving so much more rapidly than Harry originally anticipated. The child was already beyond the level of the average second year student. He scored with top marks in Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, and even Herbology. The child was also a very skilled duelist, as he was actually able to disarm Harry in a heated duel when he was seven years old. His magical training went slow at first, but due to the fact that in his past life, he was one of the greatest duelists of all time, he quickly caught up and improved dramatically.

As far as his hereditary magical gift went, Naruto didn't show very many signs that he was developing any. Harry smiled when he remembered one time when he told him about his old ability to speak Parseltongue. Upon learning that Harry could communicate with snakes without trying, prompted Naruto into trying it himself. He once found a garden snake hiding in the school gardens and took it home with him. He had then spent several hours just trying to talk to it but to no avail.

There was still a chance that Naruto could one day undergo a sort of magical-puberty and the boy could eventually develop special abilities of his own. But there would be no way of knowing that in advance until the day would come when it happens.

As soon as he finished his song and tucked Naruto into bed a little bit more, Harry sighed and settled down in his chair by the massive fireplace. He slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep, thinking that all he could do now was train his little sibling the best he could. In magic and in ninjutsu as well.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>O Children belongs to Nick Cave &amp; The Bad Seeds<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Whoo-Wee! That took a while to get this done!<strong>

**Naruto: You got this done in less than a week. How is that a long time?**

**Kvsyaoran: I dunno. I guess it's because this one is so much longer. Either way, I'm feeling like taking a break for a while or something.**

**Naruto: You can't take a break now! What about your readers?**

**Kvsyaoran: I wanna take a nap!**

**Naruto: Five-year-old's take naps! ARE YOU A FIVE YEAR OLD?**

**Kvsyaoran: I'M SLEEPY!**

**Naruto: STOP SHOUTING!**

**Kvsyaoran: YOU STOP SHOUTING!**

**Iruka: BOTH OF YOU STOP SHOUTING! NEXT CHAPTER IS THE GRADUATION EXAM!**

**Kvsyaoran & Naruto: Yes, Iruka-sensei...**

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><p><strong>Remember to leave behind your kind review! Thank you and stay tuned in!<strong>


	7. The Graduation Exam

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/ Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's Thoughts/other people's thoughts

'**_Blah_**': Harry talking to Naruto

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><p><strong>Hey guys! We're back with another chapter of the first prologue of the series!<strong>

**Naruto: how many more chapters do we have left to go through?**

**Kvsyaoran: Six, I think...**

**Naruto: Six? ! But we're almost at the end of the title's implications! How can there be more?**

**Kvsyaoran: Cheese. It's as good as any other answer.**

**Naruto: While it may be an answer, IT'S NOT THE ANSWER I'M LOOKING FOR!**

**Kvsyaoran: HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT DESPITE AZEROTH44'S ABSENCE, WE ARE STILL ACTING LIKE COMPLETE LUNATICS?**

**Naruto: APPARENTLY, YES I HAVE!**

**Kvsyaoran: I miss him a little bit...**

**Naruto: Me too...**

**Deadpool: I'm still here!**

**Naruto & Kvsyaoran: WE'RE HAVING A MOMENT IN HERE!**

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><p><strong>For those of you who are upset with how Naruto's development is unhealthy and psychologically damaging, let me remind you of something; THIS IS FAN FICTION.<strong>

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto**

**Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros**

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><p>Chapter 7: The Graduation Exam<p>

* * *

><p>"WHOO-HOO!"<p>

That was what cried out the voice of a young boy wearing an orange tracksuit with blue on the upper shoulders area as well as up and down the front, a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, a red swirl on the back, a big white collar, orange pants, blue sandals, and a pair of green goggles that looked like they've seen a lot of action.

Naruto Uzumaki kept jumping from rooftop to rooftop, carrying empty trays in his hands before he discarded them down the first dumpster he zoomed over in the midair. The small boy that a lot of people have become familiar with up to this point had grown up to be a highly energetic preteen who was currently being chased down by two unidentified chunin teachers from the Ninja Academy.

"Get back here, Naruto!"

"You're gonna pay for this!"

"You won't get away!"

Six years have passed since the day Naruto discovered that he was a wizard and he was now in his third and hopefully final year at the Academy.

He had to take a while off from school and use his time to train and sharpen his wit and abilities. He had to do this as well as countless other students ever since the infamous Uchiha Massacre. Ever since the night of purge of the Uchiha clan, the village council decided that allowing children under the age of nine or ten would risk their mental stability and forbade an entire generation of shinobi from graduating. this was done so that another case like Itachi Uchiha's would not occur again. But this decision was rather sporadic and it was soon terminated after an appeal that took over two years just to file out. The parents of dozens of children protested and demanded the ban be lifted and grant their children back the right to learn. When the protests were becoming too much of a problem, the council had no choice but to lift the two-year running ban and let the children go back to school, restricting the acceptance age to eight years old as a compromise.

(A/N: I know this ISN'T how the school system runs, but I started it with Naruto at age six and I just decided to spread out the years he goes back so that he will be eleven/twelve in his third year :P)

In that time, Naruto took the break to get over the stress that accumulated with two years of public school. The stress that he was going through in order to keep his magic a secret by pretending that he was an idiot was becoming something of a personal problem. He wanted to tell at least one real person the truth, so that he could continue playing his part as the deadlast with ease. Thankfully his absence from school helped him to recharge his batteries and got him ready for another year of school.

To make sure Naruto wouldn't let the stress build up again, Harry invited him into his office to talk at any time he pleased. It was almost like going to a therapist when the wizard had the kid lay down on one of the couches in the lounge while he sat up on one of the armchairs and talked about what it was that bothered him emotionally.

Once he was back in the real world, Naruto usually vent out his frustrations or his insecurities by going on a series of harmless rampages that took the form of pranks and mischief-making. He primarily targeted the most despicable people he could find and made sure to keep to his honor-code by only going after the worst society had to offer and nobody else. Today he wasn't targeting any particular person but was doing something a little bit different.

{{_Mr. Longbottom Flies by John Williams_}}

Naruto jumped out of the way of the two pursuers and dove down into an alleyway. He grabbed a rope that he had placed in advance and swung right through the tight space between two buildings as if he were one of his favorite superheros. The two chunin stopped and were dumbfounded when they saw Naruto swiftly slip right through the space both of them were too big to possibly fit through. The young boy jumped at the peak of his swing and grabbed another rope while he imitated his favorite comic book hero. He grabbed hold of another rope and picked up another package that he had placed on top of a roof of a building the previous night. He then jumped from rooftop to rooftop, and opened the package to find a large, beautifully decorated, and slightly stale cake.

The young wizard took the packaged dessert and approached the carved faces of the Hokage where on the faces of stone was his unfinished masterpiece. Naruto used his chakra to hop from one roof to the next until he reached the trees and mountains that led up to the top of the mountain. He jumped through the trees and ran through the forest until he reached the rocky summit of the Hokage Mountain. Naruto slowed down, adjusted his ears to the change in pressure and ran up to the peak of the mountain where a tightly-bound rope was waiting for him. He attached the rope to his belt using a simple spell and jumped off the mountain to swing in front of the Sandaime's engraved face, "WHOO!"

He aimed the cake in his hand and he threw it right above Sarutobi's upper lip, giving his statue face a white mustache with yellow-cake boogers.

"Direct hit!" he cheered.

Bellow the his feet, there stood a large group of jounin and chunin shinobi who were all yelling at him and boasting that he was going to get it once he came back down.

Naruto had decided to make one lasting impression of his Academy days by decorating the Hokage faces with thrown-away cakes from a local bakery. He originally wanted to use paint from the hardware store, but his older brother warned him not to or else he would risk being expelled from the Academy or receive a far worse punishment for desecrating a national monument. The two of them ended up sneaking into the garbage of the local bakery and took the cakes that had the most moisture trapped within them.

When he finished his masterpiece, he kicked off from the Nidaime Hokage's left cheek to examine his work. He laughed at the chocolate and raspberry swirls of the Shodai Hokage's cheeks. He giggled at the Nidaime's wedding cake beard and caterpillar eyebrows, which Harry admired for his remarkable use of charms to keep them up. The two of them both hollered at Sandaime Hokage's statue, as it now had a vanilla goatee and mustache that was already beginning to drip in large clumps. Harry and Naruto went hysterical at the sight of the Yondaime's face, that now had a strawberry clown nose and blushing pink-raspberry cheeks.

The boy laughed at the newly colored face and turned to his audience below him and bellowed, "I GIVE YOU! THE GREAT HOKA-CAKE FACES!"

The crowd gathered on the roof of the Administration Building began spitting harsh insults at the boy dangling from the rope. Two random chunin in the back of the crowd decided to break off and alert their aging leader as soon as possible. When they came back with the old man, the two of them pointed at the mess and the child swaying back and forth on his rope.

"Hokage-sama, look! That damn brat is at it again! Look at what he's done to your face!"

Sarutobi walked up to the end of the railed roof and stopped before the gathering puddle of icing that fell down from his statue's nose. He reached out his hand and caught some icing with his index finger. He examined the smudge of white icing smothering the tip of his outstretched finger and he plopped it in his mouth. The others around him looked confused or disgusted, even thinking their leader to be slightly mad at tasting the desecration.

"Hmm..." he said as he thought deeply, "Vanilla... My favorite!"

The surrounding crowd of people raised their brows at their leader's actions, especially when a warm smile spread across his aging face. Sarutobi licked the remains of his little treat and smiled, sugar having a magical tendency to lift up his old spirits.

"Hokage-sama!" one of the men protested.

Sarutobi shrugged and closed his eyes as he began to walk away, "I don't see the point in getting all worked up over a little bit of sugar and icing. Though Naruto will still have to clean up his mess..."

The old man watched as his first grandson slipped down his rope and jumped back onto the rooftops again as those two chunin from earlier finally caught up with him and chased him back towards the school.

"He always does..."

Naruto jumped up and down from the buildings, trying to shake off the chunin following him. He rapidly jumped from building to building, bouncing off of windows and railings, hoping that his pursuers would slip and fall to the ground. Naruto treated this game of cat and mouse like a game of Quidditch, by imagining himself flying on a broomstick and speeding in between viewing platforms, hoping that the players behind him would slam into a pillar or collide into each other in midair. He tried to escape his followers, but wasn't until Naruto ducked into another alleyway and hid behind a shinobi-issue Cloak of Invisibility. He cleverly placed himself underneath the cloth and pressed the sheet over himself before blending into his surroundings like a chameleon. The chunin were tricked easily and they sped after another kid who looked similar to Naruto. The real blonde-haired hoodlum peered out from under the sheet and jumped and down in victory while he laughed.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Thank you! Thank you, ladies and gentlemen!" he joked as he started walking to school, "No! Thank you! I'll be here til Thursday! OOF!"

He bumped into something solid and warm, and almost fell down on his back. Naruto looked up and froze before he began to laugh nervously at his favorite teacher. Iruka was staring down at him with an unhappy look on his face. He was tapping his foot lightly while he had his arms crossed and remained still as a statue. He was clearly upset with Naruto for both his most recent prank and for another reason. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and checked his watch to realize that he was over an hour late for class. He looked up at Iruka and scratched his cheek in a nervous fit.

If it wasn't mentioned before; this was one issue that Naruto and Harry argued on for a long while.

Naruto really admired his sensei and greatly respected him for having been so fair and kind to him since the day he first met him. This was the same person that had saved Naruto from being slaughtered on his first week at public school. If Iruka was willing to save Naruto's life and care so much about him and his education, then he couldn't see why he shouldn't trust the man with the one secret Harry made him swear not to tell anyone. Because of how much Iruka grew to care about Naruto, the boy began to view and even love his favorite teacher almost like a father or another older brother figure.

Because of this, Naruto hated disappointing him, lying, and not being himself around him.

He and Harry kept arguing over this; the younger of the pair saying that Iruka wouldn't tell anyone and would accept him since he was genuinely nice. But the older wizard disagreed and said that the chunin teacher would believe Harry to be the Kyuubi trying to manipulate Naruto and would therefore tell the Hokage. Though he could never deny that after observing Iruka's eyes every time he watched the two of them talk, he could see genuine kindness and concern in those chocolate-brown eyes. But it wasn't enough for Harry to let Iruka into the circle of trust.

"Hey, sensei... I, uh, I was just on my way to-"

Iruka didn't want to hear excuses as he final spoke in a crossed voice and pointed towards the direction of the school, "Classroom. Now."

The Academy student sunk his head in shame and answered, "Yes, sensei."

* * *

><p>Naruto followed his teacher to the corridor outside of their classroom. This was usually the place where he would drag him and the rest of the troublemakers in the class to be royally chewed out. Naruto was considered a frequent visitor to this hallway for all of the times he had been brought out of class for all of the trouble he caused. Iruka stood outside his classroom and looked down at his student more in disappointment than anger.<p>

"I just don't understand it, Naruto." he said slowly, "You failed the graduation exam on your first year and the year after that! Tomorrow is your third chance to graduate, and you're messing up again. You have to keep your head in the game this time around and stay focused, like I keep telling you."

After his teacher was finished with reminding him to stop fooling around, the two of them entered the classroom. Naruto sat down in his seat as Iruka stood in front of the class to make his announcement;

"Alright everyone, we're going to review the Henge no Jutsu today! Naruto missed it, so we have to go over it again."

The entire room moaned and booed at their teacher's command, but they still got up from their seats and formed a single-file line. Naruto stood in between the girl Ino and his old friend Shikamaru. Before he got in his place in line, almost all of the other students scowled at him for being late and playing his foolish tricks. Naruto sighed silently while he looked around the classroom to reflect upon the changes in the last few years. He still had the same classmates as last year, with the exception of a handful of students who managed to graduate after the purge. Naruto was still stuck with all of the same clan heirs and heiresses he met in his second year. The only thing that was different about them was their clothing, as they started wearing their more signature outfits instead of normal civilian attire.

Iruka's voice called out in command, "Alright! All you need to do is transform into a copy of me, and that's the review. No problem."

One by one, Iruka evaluated each of his students based on the accuracy of their transformation. He wrote down his notes on his old black clipboard as each student took their turn in transforming into an image of him. Every student, so far, looked very similar to their sensei only they were holding their hands together as they were when they started the jutsu. When Naruto's turn was approaching, two students spoke their minds about his antics earlier this morning.

Shikamaru sighed tiredly and said with reason, "This is a complete waste of time, Naruto. Couldn't you have held it off until tomorrow or something? That's what I told you to do, man..."

"We always do this for _your_ mistakes, dead-last idiot!" Ino Yamanaka criticized harshly.

Naruto rolled his eyes once his favorite teacher called his name, "Like I care, Ino-chan..."

He soon stood at the front of the line and was ready to impress his sensei to make up for his mistake this morning. When he stood up, he attracted the attention of just one other student in the entire class. The girl Naruto had seen on the first day of his second year, the one who always blushed when the two were within close proximity of each other. She looked over at him with lavender eyes and her two pointer fingers poking at each other out of nervous habit. Naruto didn't remember her but he had actually met this girl a long time ago when they were both very small. But Naruto had defended this girl from a bunch of bullies and was eventually knocked out trying to defend her. Since then, she hadn't forgotten him and wished she had the courage to talk to him and be friends, maybe be more now that she was older and approaching her teens.

The girl, named Hinata Hyuga, looked over to Naruto and blushed deeply as she admired him, '_Naruto-kun... Do your best!_'

The boy put his hands together and cried out the name of one of his best jutsu.

"_Henge no Jutsu!_"

Once the smoke of the jutsu cleared, out came the perfect image of Iruka Umino. The teacher looked very impressed, as Naruto made a perfect mirror reflection of him, instead of taking on a form of his teacher holding his hands together like the other students were doing. Naruto's version of his favorite teacher was perfect, as the exercise was originally designed. The transformation was downright flawless all the way down to the finest possible detail. He even got the details down on his headband, including the scratches, complete with his clipboard and pencil.

"Uhhh... Very good job, Naruto! Good work!"

(A/N: Don't worry, Sexy no Jutsu will be on it's way soon! It'll be great! XD)

* * *

><p>{{<em>Nimbus 2000 by John Williams<em>}}

Later that day, Naruto received a detention for the stunt he pulled that morning. Iruka supervised it as he walked with him to the top of the Administration Building, and together they were lifted up by a scaffold. They climbed the face of the mountain/cliff all the way to the top. Iruka got off while he gave Naruto a bucket of fresh water, a rag, some special plaster-removing swabs, and a number of other cleaning materials that he needed. Iruka sat himself down on top of the Shodai Hokage as he watched Naruto complete his chore. When his student got started on the work willingly, he called out to remind him.

"Don't forget that you can't leave to go home until the job is done, Naruto!"

The boy nodded his head, not really upset over anything as he was used to this by now. But still, Naruto sort of wished that he could want to go back to the apartment. To go to a place that he could call his home where someone was there waiting for him to return. But instead, all he had waiting for him at his apartment was a drunken landlord and his family, overcharging him for his rent and shutting off his power while he was still up studying and reading.

Naruto mumbled to himself, thinking no one could hear him, "It's not like there's someone there waiting for me..."

At hearing his student say that, Iruka opened his eyes and felt as if a knife pierced his heart. He simply hadn't noticed it before. But Naruto was an orphan just like he was. He frowned sadly, berating himself on the inside for having not realized this sooner. Iruka put together that Naruto only did this stunt because he was trying to compensate for something he didn't have anymore. He felt guilty and stupid for having said that one sentence a minute ago and thought that he should talk to Naruto as soon as he could.

"Hey, Naruto!"

The boy stopped scraping off raspberry and chocolate icing from the Shodai Hokage's cheek and looked up to his sensei curiously.

"Once you're done here, how about I treat you to Ichiraku Ramen? The good stuff! What do you say?"

Naruto adopted an excited and determined look in his face and he got right back to work and scrubbed off as much cake and icing from the faces of the Hokage without giving in to using magic to shortcut to a promised meal of delicious ramen noodles.

"You got it, sensei! I'll be done in no time!"

* * *

><p>About two hours later, Naruto had finally finished cleaning the Hokage Faces until they were clean and even spotless of cake, icing, and bird excrement. For having cleaned the stone faces more thoroughly than he was ordered to, Iruka decided to reward Naruto with at least two or three bowls of Ichiraku's famous ramen. When they arrived at the old ramen shop, Iruka and Naruto took seats next to each other and ordered their meal. Naruto helped himself to a bowl of beef ramen with extra barbecue pork, while Iruka got himself the same thing. Teuchi looked happy to see these two customers back in his restaurant, having seen them both come in here to talk on numerous occasions.<p>

Whenever Naruto got into fights at school through the end of his second year and throughout his third year, Iruka tried to talk to him here at Ichiraku's to know why he did it and figure out what was the cause of his behavior. But no matter how many times they came to this place to eat, Iruka still couldn't figure it out. He also brought him here tried to solve the mystery as to how Naruto was unable to improve his grades, and again, no matter how hard he tried he could figure it out. He could see the look of determination in his students eyes and saw the potential he had as a shinobi. He could see it, he truly could. But despite all of the efforts, Naruto still kept slipping up and getting into trouble. He wanted to help him, but he just couldn't figure out the source of the problem.

He could only hope now that tonight he could solve the mystery and find a way to get Naruto to catch up on his grades, even though tomorrow was the final school day of the year. Iruka stopped eating, no matter how good his ramen tasted, and looked to Naruto. Who was busy scarfing down on his noodles and slurping away as if he hadn't eaten a bite all day.

"Naruto," he started.

The boy did not stop eating his remarkable meal but he still let his sensei know that he was listening to him.

"Why did you do that to the faces of the Hokage? You do know who they are, right?"

The boy slurped on the last of his noodles and answered his teacher, "Of course I know who they are, sensei. I actually paid attention in that one history lecture," the boy slurped up the broth of his meal and took a sigh of satisfaction, "Everybody knows who the Hokage are. They're the undefeated ninja champions of our village. They're are the ones who carry the Will of Fire that burns within all of the shinobi... And the Yondaime Hokage... he was the most famous, because he protected the village from the Kyuubi no Kitsune and saved us all from oblivion."

Iruka then asked him, "So why did you-"

Before he could finish his question, Naruto came up with a half-truth and half-lie about his reasons for decking out the faces of the Hokage with cake.

"Because I'm going to become better than any of them one day! Me! Naruto Uzumaki! The next Hokage! When that day comes, people will have to stop disrespecting me and look up to me! Dattebayo!"

The teacher was dumbstruck at Naruto's sporadic proclamation but then he realized his student's reasons for wanting to improve himself, so that the people of the village could give him some respect. Iruka was hesitant on what he should say next, because at the rate Naruto was going with his grades, the possibility of him becoming Hokage was very unlikely. But at the same time, he wanted to encourage his student to pursue his dream and become a better shinobi with that drive fueling him. But if he did that, Naruto could foolishly put himself into danger, thinking he could go after that dream only to never make it and become crushed both emotionally and physically.

Iruka really couldn't think up of the right answer for him.

But he was saved when Naruto looked up to him and asked a question, "By he way, sensei? I wanted to ask you a small favor?"

"You want another bowl?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

The boy shook his head, "Nah... I just wanted to ask if I could wear your headband for a second? C'mon! Please? Just for a sec!"

"What, this?" he asked and smiled, "No way, I can't do that! The headband of the Konoha shinobi is a badge of adulthood. You can only get one if you pass the test tomorrow."

Naruto groaned and fumed, "Awww... That is so not cool!"

"Wait a sec! Is that why you took off your goggles before you ate?" his favorite teacher asked.

Naruto tried to deny it and said, "Could I get another bowl, please?"

Iruka laughed while Teuchi prepared another bowl for Naruto. The student and mentor continued to talk until they had to turn in for the big day tomorrow. When they departed from the restaurant, the two of them waved goodbye before they went their separate ways. Iruka watched his student run back home and was pleased to see his enthusiasm for the exam tomorrow, but he soon turned anxious on whether or not he would be able to pass this time around. He could only pray that Naruto would manage to brush up his skills in time and pass. In truth, he secretly hoped that Naruto would accomplish his dream.

It was obvious that he had a very clear and passionate understanding on the concept of the Will of Fire. He was the only student to ever understand it as much as his teacher did. When he stood up and told him this in front of the whole class, Naruto secretly earned the spot as Iruka's favorite student, if he were allowed to make that kind of choice.

For now, he could only hope that Naruto would be able to graduate the following day.

* * *

><p>The next morning, the blonde-haired cadet woke up with a start when his mental alarm clock went off. He got up and ate his breakfast as quickly as he could while Harry kept telling him to slow down or he would choke or get a stomachache. When he finished breakfast, he undressed in his bathroom and hopped into the shower. He gave his scalp a good cleaning and applied whatever conditioner he had and dumped it on his head and let it sink in. Once Naruto was properly cleansed, he started brushing his teeth and listened to his companion while he counted his brush strokes.<p>

'**_Today's the big day, Little one! How do you feel?_**'

Naruto answered slowly, '_I feel a little nervous, Harry... I've been studying so much for this day... Just like how I studied for the last two exams these past few years..._'

'**_Just do your best. You really are talented, Naruto. You have so much potential in you!_**'

'_Potential didn't exactly help me out with the Bunshin no Jutsu, Nii-san. No matter how hard I try, it's just that one jutsu I can't get right._'

'**_I understand. Maybe this year they won't test you on that jutsu. I heard that some other students didn't have to perform that jutsu to graduate. Some kid who could only do taijutsu still got out._**'

'_And if that isn't the case and I have to do the Bunshin?_'

'**_Then let's just hope that it doesn't have to come to that._**'

'_...Well... At least one good thing will have come out from graduating..._'

'**_What's that?_**'

'_I can finally stop this whole idiot act and earn myself some respect..._!'

When Naruto stopped stroking for a second, he looked into the mirror and heard his older brother's voice sounding very enthusiastic and made him feel a lot more confident in himself, '**_Who's gonna graduate today?_**'

'_That would be me!_'

Naruto stopped brushing his teeth and hovered over his sink while he cleaned out his mouth with wash. He spat in his sink and proceeded to get ready for the final day of school, selecting one of his numerous orange tracksuits. Naruto grimaced at having to wear one of these again, but Harry insisted on it.

It would surprise a lot of people, especially his classmates, but Naruto hated wearing his signature orange and blue outfit. The tracksuit he made famous was part of the disguise that Harry had him assume for years as it made people question whether or not Naruto was trying to make himself a human target, since shinobi had to wear more concealing clothes. Harry also insisted that he should wear it because it was remarkably heavy and it would weigh him down and eventually make him physically stronger.

Naruto grudgingly put on his hideous attire and stormed out the door, ready to take on the Graduation Exam with the greatest confidence.

* * *

><p>The boy wizard arrived at school early that morning and got himself pumped for the exam.<p>

While Naruto waited patiently, he couldn't help but watch as his classmates slowly filled up the classroom; starting with Sakura and Ino when they raced through the door to sit next to the classroom heartthrob. Kiba entered the classroom, carrying his familiar in his coat and smelling like a wet dog soaked in urine. Choji and Shikamaru came into the classroom some few minutes later and carried with them a whole bag of snacks and chips to share. The more gluttonous clan heir already started eating them up, claiming that he would need the snacks for energy, while his slothful best friend collapsed onto his desk and complained about how life was so troublesome. Hinata soon walked in after them and sat down quietly in a seat behind the golden-haired troublemaker. Harry couldn't help but look at the girl and noticed the fact that she kept on blushing in his little brother's presence and snickered at how Naruto didn't even notice it. The scene reminded him greatly of how Ginny used to act around him while he was alive. The last student to come into was a boy named Shino Aburame, who very few people even notice even walked in, making it seem as if he were there for hours to begin with.

As the usual commotion commenced, Naruto tried to go over the exercises as many times as possible. He wanted to make sure that he couldn't mess up and get these jutsu just right. He even resorted to phasing into the mindscape briefly to practice the techniques and make sure he got them all down perfectly. But before Naruto could start practicing making illusionary clones of himself with Harry, their tan-skinned teacher arrived with his old clipboard and stood behind his desk while the children quieted down when he started to address to them.

Naruto snapped back into reality and listened to every word his favorite teacher had to say.

"Today, you guys will be taking the final exam... First, you have to complete a written test once it's been handed out to you. And once you're finished with that, we'll move onto the practical examination... When your name is called, proceed to the testing room where Mizuki-sensei and myself will be evaluating. The practical test will be on the three basic Academy-level jutsu; the Henge no Jutsu, Replacement Technique, and the Bunshin no Jutsu."

At hearing that last bit out loud and clear, Naruto face-palmed himself and removed his goggles in frustration. He slammed his fist to his desk as quietly as he could and he cursed under his breath.

'_Dammit! There's no way I can pass this year! Stupid educational system!_'

'**_Relax, Little one. Just do the best you can. Run through the steps slowly and perform the technique. You won't be graded on speed, so take all the time you need to get it done right. Okay?_**'

'_I'll try my absolute best, Nii-san. I think I might get it down this year! Dattebayo!_'

He waited patiently until his name was called after a majority of the students left. Naruto walked out of his classroom for what he hoped to be the final time and into the testing room down the hall. When he walked in and faced the two teachers, he felt as if his legs turned to jello and that he would fall over at any moment. He walked into the unused classroom and saw his teacher and Mizuki sitting behind the desk at the front. There on the table were an assembly line of Konoha headbands. All of them brand-spanking-new with freshly sewn blue cloth and newly minted steel, fresh out of the factory that supplied them. Naruto looked at one of the headbands, hoping one of them could be his own to keep as he stared at the engraved symbol of the village leaf.

Naruto re-aimed his focus and concentrated on the test. Iruka told him that he had to first demonstrate his ability with the Henge and had him transform into an image of Sarutobi. The boy did as he was told and turned into the perfect copy of their leader. His next task was that he had to replace himself with a small ensemble of random objects, including a log, large rock, and even a desk. Naruto performed the technique successfully each time with every object, earning him a significant number of points towards earning himself one of those headbands.

When it was time to perform the final jutsu (the Bunshin no Jutsu) Naruto took a step back and slowly went through the steps to performing the jutsu. Since time not of the essence in this situation, he relaxed and tried his very best to concentrate on creating the appropriate number of intangible clones. He focused his chakra and let it flow throughout his body correctly before he released it with a large amount of white smoke.

Naruto cried out loudly, "_Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

Once the smoke cleared, he looked over to his clones. But then he gasped lightly when he saw that he only created one and that it had no pigmentation, no color, and was sprawled on the floor, vomiting white smoke before it died and disappeared into nothing. Naruto looked over to his teacher and watched him sigh before he shook his head.

* * *

><p>Naruto exited the Academy, feeling completely depressed from having failed for the third year in a row. The boy retreated to the old swing hanging from the large oak tree across the schoolyard. He perched himself on the swing and watched as the other students emerged from out the doors and were met by their proud parents and families. Naruto tried his best to refrain from listening to the sounds of the other kids of his generation as their parents smothered them with endless congratulations. He listened to fathers praising their sons and mothers embracing their children, telling them that they would cook their favorite meal for dinner.<p>

How the lonesome blonde child longed to be in the shoes of those children laughing outside the doors they escaped. To be able to receive a hug from his mother and be kissed upon his scarred forehead. Or get a firm pat on his back from his father and hear him tell him how proud he was of him.

Out in the crowd, two mothers looked over to see Naruto down at the swing and pointed at him rudely.

"It's that boy! I heard he's the only one who failed."

"Serves him right. Can you imagine if they let someone like that become a ninja?"

"After all, he's the one who has the-"

"SHH! We're not supposed to talk about that! The Sandaime will have our heads!"

Naruto clenched the rope of his swing and rested his head on said rope while he despaired and tried to resist the urge to cry out of the loneliness and the fact that his parents couldn't be here to comfort him in his time of need.

'_Why can't I manage the Bunshin, Nii-san? It's not fair! Everyone else managed to graduate... Even that slick-git Kiba got to graduate..._'

The older wizard sighed and focused the sensation of warm arms wrapping around his container, '**_I don't know for sure, Little one. But it definitely has something to do with your chakra control._**'

'_But I thought I had great chakra control. You said that yourself._'

'**_You just don't have the necessary control of the amount of chakra you use; you keep overloading chakra to ensure the technique's success. When you over-power them it causes your clones to look pretty dead. You need more time for the control exercise to truly make a difference, but I found them too late to help with these exams. I'm really sorry, Naru-chan..._**'

'_It's not your fault, Harry... It's never been your fault..._'

Naruto suddenly felt a headache simmering up on his forehead and looked up from the ground to be surprised. He saw the head instructor emerge from the crowd gathered outside of the school and approached him. The boy wizard withdrew from his conversation with his brother and the magical sensation before he looked up to see Mizuki hovering up above him and smiling down at him softly.

"Hello, there, Naruto! Could you come with me, please? I want to talk to you."

The boy hesitated before he stood up off the swing and followed the teacher out of the grounds and to an isolated part of town. The two of them eventually settled down on the roof of a building that overlooked the entire metropolis. For several uncomfortable minutes of silence, the two of them sat down on the roof and watched as the sky soon turned orange and the blazing sun slowly fell down towards the face of the cloud-kissed mountains of the west. Naruto felt very uneasy around this teacher and couldn't think of anything to break the silence. His memories of the incident back at the library didn't help him while he got a bad vibe about this pale-skinned man and his intensions for bringing him out here in this isolated part of town.

Mizuki soon spoke up to break the tension, "I'm sorry about Iruka not letting you graduate again this year. I still say that the Bunshin no Jutsu shouldn't matter, seeing as you did well with the other jutsu."

"It's fine." answered the slightly nervous child.

The head instructor then said, "Iruka's a tough teacher, but he's never been against you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know that..." the boy answered, "But... I still wish he could have let me graduate... I really wouldn't have given me the chance. I really could have done him proud...!"

The head instructor looked over at the child in sympathy, "You know, you kinda remind me of him when he was your age. Granted, Iruka was much younger than me, so I was never in the same class. But I had heard a lot about him. He also wanted to become a great shinobi, but he was an S-Class troublemaker... He didn't get to where he was now because _his_ sensei went easy on him... He worked his tail off to get to where he is now."

Naruto nodded and even smiled at the fact that he was similar to his favorite teacher, "Yeah... But this time... I really, really wanted to graduate..."

Mizuki gave the child a sharp look, though it lasted only a few seconds before it slowly faded away. This look made him appear determined and almost thirsty before it soften into another of his reassuring masks.

"If you want to graduate so much, then I guess I have to tell you..." he offered.

The boy looked up towards Mizuki, "Huh? Tell me what?"

"It's a secret. But I'm gonna let you in on it... There's a secret way for failed students to graduate from the Academy regardless of test scores."

Naruto looked deeply intrigued when the subject was brought up, but underneath his facial expressions he was actually suspicious, '_What the bloody hell is he going on about? I've never heard of there being another way to pass! He's lying!_'

'**_Isn't that the understatement of the year._**'

'_What do I do, Nii-san? This guy is trouble._'

'**_Go along with him for now... I want to see what he's up to. Whatever it is, I doubt it's good. And whatever he's got planned, we can stop him. Together._**'

Naruto nodded to his companion mentally and then he listened to Mizuki's every word and direction.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Dun-Dun-Dun-Dun-DUN! Not to worry. I'm going to update to the next chapter in a day or two since everyone wants to see through the end of this important part of the story.<strong>

**Naruto: Well, I can only guess as to where this is going...**

**Kvsyaoran: (Smiling) Shut it, Naruto.**

**Naruto: What? What did I do?**

**Kvsyaoran: I'm sorry. It's just that I kinda miss Azeroth44 not being here like I said earlier.**

**Naruto: I miss him too...**

**Deadpool: If you guys miss him so much, why don't you check him out?**

**Naruto: Huh?**

**Deadpool: I think he's about ready to come back. Check it!**

**(Both rush out of their seats and head straight to the resurrection room that looks just like the room where Neji was healed after the Sasuke Retrieval Arc)**

**Naruto: GASP!**

**Kvsyaoran: His body! It's gone!**

**Deadpool: Cliffhanger!**

* * *

><p><strong>Please leave behind a review! Positive comments increases updating time! YAY!<strong>


	8. The Scroll of Sealing

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/ Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's Thoughts/other people's thoughts

'**_Blah_**': Harry talking to Naruto

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto: So... Did you figure out what you wanna eat yet?<strong>

**Kvsyaoran: ...**

**Naruto: Okay, can you not ignore me when I'm talking to you?**

**Kvsyaoran: Oh, I'm sorry what? Were you saying something? I wasn't listening.**

**Naruto: You were _actively_ not listening to me. That means you're, uh, ignoring me!**

**Kvsyaoran: Should I _passively_ not listen to you?**

**Naruto: Yes!**

**Kvsyaoran: Okay, fine. I'll snap back in to it. Azeroth44's reconstructed body is gone and it couldn't have just walked off on it's own. What are we going to do? Instead of thinking about what we wanna eat.**

**Naruto: I dunno. I say we try to think as to who would want to take his body.**

**Kvsyaoran: Let's think... Who do we know who likes to steal bodies at random for no ambiguous reason?**

**Naruto: ...**

**Kvsyaoran: ...**

**Deadpool: ... (Look! parentheses!)**

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto**

**Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8: The Scroll of Sealing<p>

* * *

><p>{{<em>Detention by John Williams<em>}}

Later that night, Naruto snuck out of his apartment building without the use of his old stealth suit, since it had been accidentally destroyed from a magical overload on the night of the Uchiha Massacre. To be fair, he was six years old when he stitched those clothes, so it was no wonder that they would fall apart one day. All of that set aside, he jumped off from the balcony of the apartment and headed towards the Administration Building at the center of the village. Once he had gotten there, he made his way to the section of the building where Sarutobi and some of his family lived while he was still the Hokage.

Mizuki told him that he had to extract a special scroll from the Hokage Residence without being detected by any guards or any of the teachers that would be disguised as the Hokage or the rest of his family to simulate a stealth and espionage mission. After he had captured the scroll, Mizuki informed him that he had to hide away to a safe location in the woods until he arrived to see him master a jutsu from the scroll he needed to steal. The head instructor had told him that this test was only administered to Academy students who had the potential to be indicted into the ANBU ranks or Tokubetsu jounin, so he advised him to not mess this one up.

That's all there was to it.

Naruto didn't read anything about this in any of the books from the library and it didn't make sense to host a graduation exercise in the middle of someone else's home. It was like Mizuki had made up this story for an idiot to believe. At coming to that conclusion, Naruto immediately understood why the teacher had come to him in the first place and whacked himself in the head for not coming to that conclusion earlier.

When he arrived at the residence and found an open window to climb through, Harry spread out his senses and then opened his emerald eyes when he sensed something, '**_Mizuki is right there on the other side of the building... He's watching you like a pedophile... Cr~eepy!_**'

Naruto shook off Harry's comment as he sensed him moments before he did as he got another one of his strange headaches when that teacher was around. He pushed himself against the wall of the building, he peeked his head in through the window to see that no one was inside. Harry stretched his senses and could only pick up several humanoid lifeforms; the Hokage himself, his biological grandson and the child's mother and father. Harry felt for sure that they were all fast asleep, which didn't come as a surprise as it was already way past midnight.

The blonde-haired preteen jumped through the window, careful not to let his foot crunch the dust on the floor. Once Naruto was sure that Mizuki could not see him anymore, he placed several charms over his feet so that he wouldn't make any noise while he tip-toed his way through the complex and find the secret library he was told to find. Naruto quietly made his way to the large oak doors that the head instructor mentioned and opened them up enough for him to squeeze through. Once inside, he looked around the bottom of the furthest book shelve where he found a large drawer. Naruto opened it up and found a gigantic scroll laying there in plain sight.

It was a very large and heavy scroll that looked as if it weighed at least a hundred and fifty pounds. Naruto found a strap laying there next to it and quickly attached it to the scroll. From there, he hulled the heavy scroll out of it's drawer and read the kanji at the beginning that bore the name;

**SCROLL OF SEALING**

Naruto punched his fist into the air in victory and threw the scroll over his shoulder while he made his escape. He jumped out the window he entered and dove himself into the perpetual darkness of the deepest forest he could find.

Mizuki peered around the building he was hiding behind and smirked at gave Naruto a nasty smirk. He soon fled from the scene of the crime and began orchestrating the plan he had been setting for several years.

* * *

><p>{{T<em>he Chamber of Secrets by John Williams<em>}}

Naruto traveled deep into the darkest regions of the famous forests around Konoha. He didn't stop running until he reached a small abandoned shack that probably belonged to a man that chopped wood for a living. The boy rested himself on the soft ground next to the shack and slowly opened up the scroll. At once, he was taken aback by the number of jutsu it contained.

Saying that the jutsu in the scroll were complex would be an understatement, because these jutsu were absolutely impossible to understand. There were details and diagrams on chakra-control exercises that only people who were at an elite-level could hope to practice. The jutsu in the scroll grew increasingly difficult to understand the further and further he read into it. Naruto unraveled the scroll and couldn't believe how much had been written on it. The scroll must have contained every dangerous jutsu that have ever been recorded in Konoha, if not to that end, the entire shinobi world. He read the first jutsu on the list and quickly figured out that it was the easiest to learn, when compared to the middle section that looked like it was written in another language.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?" he said out loud in disappointment, "Not this _again_!"

'**_Actually... that might be exactly what you need to compensate for the normal Bunshin! Because it uses a ton of chakra! Open the scroll further, I'll read the rest of it for you while you try out the Kage Bunshin!_**'

Naruto snapped his finger at the scroll once he laid it down and watched as the scroll levitated around him. The scroll then started unraveling and spun around him at speeds too fast for the boy to comprehend but Harry could follow them perfectly and start making a replica of the scroll there in the mindscape. Naruto ignored the weird and slightly strenuous sensation of Harry using his eyes to copy the scroll, but in a few minutes it was all over.

'**_Okay, I'm done, Naruto. Give the new jutsu a try._**'

Once Naruto had memorized the procedure on executing the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, he stood up and crossed his fingers into a cross. He let his chakra flow and then released it in the form of a large cloud. He opened his eyes and when the smoke cleared, he saw two perfect copies of himself. They were both solid clones made of real flesh and blood. The real Naruto let out a great whoop of joy and started jumping up and down. When he calmed down he tried using the jutsu again and created more shadow clones that also began to dance along with him.

Harry laughed at seeing this and said to his little brother proudly, '**_Ha! And I thought having one of you around was bad enough, Little one..._**'

The boy shook off his comment and created four more shadow clones, while the other copies stood around the trees and watched five of them begin to practice. Naruto couldn't believe that this was happening and shook with excitement now that he could perform a jutsu this advanced.

'**_At least now you have yourself a few sparring partners. These things are solid enough to take a hit. Keep practicing, you need to appear tired out when that idiot-teacher gets here._**'

Naruto snickered when he started fantasizing and couldn't wait for that loose-cannon to arrive. He wanted to see the look of defeat on his face once he saw how many clones that he could create. He kept on imagining chibi figures of himself and Mizuki as he foiled his plans and brought him to justice. Naruto bet that Mizuki never would have guessed that he had the ability to master a jutsu this advanced. Once Naruto got tired of sparring with all his clones, he started casting dueling spells at them. He eventually stopped practicing with his magic, because using spells like a house elf was pretty exhausting once you've done it long enough.

The boy soon collapsed onto the ground and tried to catch his breath. Harry stretched his senses and felt a human approaching from the direction of the village.

'**_Heads up! Someone's coming!_**'

Naruto clicked his fingers and made the scroll roll itself back up and he hulled it back over his shoulder again, so that Mizuki wouldn't have a chance to snatch it away. When he heard the footsteps of the enemy teacher approaching, he looked up, but was surprised when it turned out that it wasn't Mizuki who had caught up with them.

'_Oops._'

'**_Play dumb!_**'

It was Iruka that had caught up to them. He approached Naruto, with some sweat beating down on his temples and cheeks, as it looked like he had been searching for him for hours. He did not look happy with his student and he looked as if he had been worried sick. Naruto hid away the look he had reserved for Mizuki and made himself look as if he were pleasantly surprised to see his sensei arrive.

"Naruto!" the chunin teacher yelled.

The boy looked up to his sensei with another fake smile, "Hey, Iruka-sensei! Do I pass the test now?"

"Huh?" the teacher was dumbfounded by that question, "What are you talking about, Naruto?"

He explained with a goofy grin, "That's how it works! I had to take this scroll as part of the exam, learn a jutsu, and impress you with it! That's how it works, right? Anyone who masters a jutsu from this scroll passes and becomes a genin!"

"Who told you that, Naruto?" Iruka asked in concern.

Naruto answered him, "Mizuki-sensei. He told me how to do everything and told me to hide in the woods once I got the scroll and practice until someone shows up!"

Iruka stood up with a looked of fear on his face, having realized that Naruto was tricked by the older teacher. He had to get him out of here before Mizuki showed up. But without any warning, his student felt a sharp pain on his forehead and touched the right eye of his goggles out of reflex. Exactly one second later, the chunin turned towards the tops of the trees opposite of the abandoned shack and pushed his student out of the line of fire.

"LOOK OUT!"

Naruto flew backwards and landed softly on his back. He looked up at his teacher and gasped at seeing Iruka pinned against the face of the shack by a barrage of kunai launched by a shinobi from up in the trees. The chunin grunted painfully and tried pulling the kunai out of his left thigh and lower torso. Thankfully, none of them had pierced any internal organs or major blood vessels, though he was still bleeding quite badly.

"Sensei!" he cried worriedly.

'**_Naruto, don't move! He's up there in the trees! It's Mizuki! And he's packing!_**'

The frightened boy looked up and saw the head instructor standing up on top of a thick tree branch. Mizuki looked down at Naruto with those deranged eyes that he had seen back in the library. The dangerous teacher was equipped with two huge shuriken tied to his back that looked impossible to throw. He also changed his appearance and adopted a significantly darker shade of his original uniform and was now wearing a bandanna with the metal plate of his headband sewn onto the front of it. He also had an entire arsenal of weaponry strapped to his legs, arms, and torso.

Iruka grunted after he pulled out another kunai, "I should have known you'd pull something like this! You really are a nut!"

"UZUMAKI!" the evil teacher yelled harshly, "Give me the scroll! NOW!"

The tan-skinned chunin reached out to his student desperately, "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM, NARUTO! That scroll contains forbidden jutsu that could put our village in great danger! Mizuki used you so he could keep the scroll for himself! For his own power! Don't ever let him get his hands on the scroll!"

Naruto looked to Iruka and nodded without question and looked back up at Mizuki in mistrust. But then the instructor smiled at the blonde with the scroll, making it difficult to determine what he was thinking. He seemed to have finally obtained control over his emotions and shielded himself from Naruto's analysis as if he were able to use Occlumency against him. It wasn't too surprising since shinobi were just as good at hiding their emotions as wizards.

"Naruto..." he said softly, "Iruka is the one who's lying... He just doesn't want you to have the scroll..."

The boy looked to his real teacher and saw that Iruka wearing his emotions on his sleeve and was being truthful when he yelled at the man in the tree and commanded his student to flee, "Stop lying you traitor! Naruto just get yourself to safety! I'll hold him off!"

Mizuki let out an insane cackle which caused everyone to flinch at his creepiness. The evil sensei had to do something to get his hands on that scroll and get back to the village before things would fall out of his control. He soon started laughing like a madman when he realized what he had to resort to doing. He would have to commit the ultimate taboo and risk himself being thrown into prison or possible execution.

The head instructor sneered at the injured chunin below him and mocked, "Let me tell Naruto who the real liars are, Umino!"

"NO, MIZUKI! DON'T YOU DARE!" the chunin bellowed.

The older man ignored him and looked at Naruto with a twisted smirk, "They've been lying to you for you're whole life, Naruto... Ever since the foolish Sandaime Hokage created the decree twelve years ago."

"What decree?" he asked the traitor, becoming angry for calling his grandfather foolish.

The head instructor laughed again, "Everybody knows about it except for you! That was a part of the law. Iruka is doing everything to keep the truth from you. He would do anything to shut me up!"

"What is this decree and why does everybody else know about it?"

Iruka yelled at the traitor but it was way too late to stop him, "DON'T TELL HIM! NARUTO! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!"

"The degree was that no one is allowed to tell you that the Kyuubi no Kitsune is inside of your body!" the head instructor spat at Naruto.

The boy paused for a split second, even though he had known he truth for several years and wasn't really surprised. But despite the fact that he knew the truth, that didn't mean that he could let anyone else know that he already knew. Otherwise, questions would arise. He had to pretend that he had no idea that he knew about the fox, so he thought back to how he reacted when he first found out the truth and tried his best to act it all out with a few twists, as if he were an actor. But he did take this very seriously, because other people's lives were on the line. Naruto widened his eyes as he tapped into an uncanny acting ability he never realized that he had.

"The fox-spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body! YOU ARE THE NINE-TAILED FOX!"

Iruka roared at the top of his lungs, "STOP IT!"

"They've been mocking you behind your back and making a complete fool out of you for years! How did they treat you, Naruto? Treated you well? NO! THEY TREATED YOU LIKE FILTH! LIKE THEY HATED YOU FOR JUST BEING ALIVE!"

Naruto forced a stream of tears to leak out of his eyes and he let himself collapse just like he did when he first saw the multi-tailed demon in it's cage. He pretended to keep from having a fit as Iruka saw this as a genuine negative reaction and reached out for him as if he wished to protect Naruto from the truth physically.

"Naruto! Don't listen to him!" he cried again.

Mizuki suddenly reached back for one of the huge shuriken on his back and started spinning it so fast that it turned into a metal disk. Naruto stopped acting and looked up at the traitor when he heard a high-pitched whistling in his ears that was almost deafening. Mizuki was about to make his move and throw that thing to kill him. The man started laughing manically in a high and cold voice as the let the giant shuriken slip through his fingers like if he were throwing a frisbee.

"DIE, NARUTO!"

Mizuki let the weapon fly from his hand and zoom directly at Naruto at top speeds. The child dropped to the ground and was frozen. Never in his life having faced a danger like this. He was frozen solid with the fear of death as he saw that shuriken whistle right toward him, ready to slice him in two.

'**_NARUTO! MOVE!_**'

At hearing his brother's voice in his ear, Naruto found the strength to move again. But all he could do was stumble and pathetically flee from the fast-approaching weapon by crawling the opposite direction. He could hear the shuriken coming as the whistling metal ringed louder in his hears until he could no longer stand it and he screamed out weakly.

Iruka yelled in desperation, "NARUTO! GET DOWN!"

Naruto closed his eyes, no longer able to get himself to move and waited for his unavoidable fate. Darkness was now his world as he waited for the unforgiving blade to pierce him and end his life. But nothing happened to him. He felt no pain. He felt no warm blood escape from his body in torrents. He was too afraid to open his eyes. Scared at the possibility that he would open them up to the unspeakable horrors of Hell or be at the pearly gates of Heaven. He relied on his other senses when they finally kicked back in. Naruto felt as if his small body were being cradled by two very strong and warm arms. He first thought that he had returned to the mindscape by mistake and that he was in Harry's bedroom, the older wizard holding him tightly in his arms. He slowly opened his eyes, the fear of dying beginning to fade, but he did not see any walls with tapestries and no giant bed. He was still in the forest, several meters away from the abandoned shack. He looked up and found himself not in his older brother's arms but in Iruka's. The chunin was holding him close to him as if he were a newborn baby and let him back onto the ground as gently as he could.

Naruto was so surprised that he didn't know what to say. But then he gasped in horror when he saw the giant shuriken sticking out of his teacher's back.

Iruka had sacrificed his body just to protect Naruto.

Warm blood leaked out of the corners of his mouth, accidentally dripping several droplets onto his students dirt-smeared cheeks. The frightened boy tried to speak but all that came out was silence. He tried to speak again and the only word that came out of his mouth was, "Why?"

Iruka lowered his head and closed his eyes, before his eyebrows turned upward and twitched uncontrollably. He opened his chocolate-brown eyes again and looked down at Naruto, almost seeing a ghostly image of his former self before turning back into his student in the blink of an eye. At seeing the blonde child down there on the ground, scared out of his mind, Iruka broke down and tears erupted from his eyes and flowed down his cheeks in twin streams.

"Because we're the same, Naruto..." he said in a cracked voice.

The boy dropped his jaw with disbelief while he listened to his teacher more intently than he ever did before.

"When my parents were gone... Nobody seemed to care... They didn't have any time for me... they just forgot I was even there anymore... My grades dropped..." he confessed, "I became the class clown... I just wanted them to acknowledge me... To know my name... My school work was never good enough to get their attention, no matter how hard I tried... So I did stupid and crazy things... and I ended up paying for it... I-it... it hurt so much...!"

Tears poured down from Iruka's eyes as he finally realized what it was that he was doing wrong with teaching Naruto. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten about his own past so much to get to where he was now, that he couldn't compare it to how similar it was to his student's. The shared the same grades, behavior, and even the same rebellious attitude. It was almost like looking into a magic mirror, showing him a reflection of the past he left behind to become the man he was up until now.

"I know that's how you feel, Naruto-kun..." he sobbed as his tears fell upon the child's face, cleaning away the blood that dropped onto his face, "You feel lonely and it hurts inside all the time... And I could have been there for you more..."

Iruka continued to sob and collapse in remorse, but he sniffed and tried to regain control of himself.

"I let you down and failed you as a teacher... I am so sorry... No one should have to suffer that much... No one deserves to be alone like that... I am so sorry, Naruto... Please, forgive me..."

The young man's tears burned as they continued to fall onto the face of the child. While the boy looked up into his sensei's eyes, he felt like crying too. He wanted to embrace his sensei and tell him that he was sorry for having gotten him into this, to say he was sorry for everything these past few years. Naruto was now afraid as he saw Iruka cough up more blood that he could die if he was not taken to a hospital.

'_No, sensei...you can't die now... You can't leave me alone... I... I won't let you die...!_'

Mizuki suddenly snapped back and interrupted this heart-melting moment. He started laughing in that same high-pitch, cold voice as before and tried to get Naruto to flee from the scene and become his prey, "DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH! The poor bastard's parents are dead now because of that thing inside of you! Iruka hated you from the second you were created! HE HATES YOU!"

Naruto looked up to the white-haired traitor and almost believed him with how vulnerable and emotional he was at the moment. He shook his head and denied the terrible man's false accusations. He almost fell back to the ground when all of the stress of the situation accumulated to an unbearable degree. He could barely control his roiling emotions, which made him feel physically weak. He looked away from both the shinobi and looked down at the ground and gasped silently when he saw the grass begin to move and blossom with new life. His was starting to lose control of his magic and was afraid that if stayed here any longer, he could completely lose control and accidentally hurt his precious sensei.

Out of weakness and fear of losing control of his powers, Naruto jumped up and ran away as fast as he could run. Iruka looked up and reached a hand out for his beloved student as he ran into the dangerous forest.

He cried out with tears still running down his face, "_NARUTO_~!"

* * *

><p>The golden-haired Academy student zoomed through the trees, trying to escape from the skirmish. He ran through brushes and trees, scraping his face and ruining his clothes in the process. Naruto kept sprinting through the forest, running for what almost felt like an hour, before he lost his footing and tripped onto the unforgiving ground. He felt the flesh on his right arm get scrapped and the right eye of his goggles cracked open. Naruto picked himself up off the ground and toughened it out while he made his way into an unfamiliar meadow. He hid himself behind a large tree within the line of the meadow and collapsed so that he could catch his breath. He unraveled the scroll from it's holster and kept it close to his chest, determined to not let it out of his sight, as it was his only bargaining-chip.<p>

Naruto tried his best to calm down and breath, but it seemed impossible after everything that just happened. He bumped his head against the face of the scroll for having thought for one second that he stood a chance against someone like Mizuki.

He was scared now, more than he felt in his entire life. Naruto tried his best to calm down and keep control but then he froze when he heard the sound of something heavy fall from the trees and enter the meadow. He peered around the tree but kept himself hidden when he saw his sensei and another person who assumed his identity. The fake wizard must have attacked his teacher, but then the real Naruto saw his sensei clench at his left shoulder despite not having injured it.

"How did you know...Naruto...?" grunted the teacher, "How did you know-" the figure exploded into white smoke, and revealed to be the traitor in disguise, "-that is was me and not Iruka?"

The false Naruto revealed itself to be the real Iruka Umino. The traitor Mizuki picked himself up, slightly dirty for having searched for the blonde-haired child for another hour, desperately seeking the scroll that the boy had tucked tightly in his arms. Naruto made sure that he stayed hidden and that they were both oblivious that he was sitting just a few feet away, listening in on their every word.

Naruto heard Mizuki spit out, "Why are you protecting that _freak_? He's a monster! He killed your parents, didn't it? He deserves to die!"

"I don't care about what you say! You're not getting your hands on Naruto or the scroll! He's innocent!" Iruka said back aggressively.

The white-haired man yelled back, "Don't you effing get it, Umino? That blonde freak is just like me!"

"How the hell do you mean?" the tan-skinned teacher asked.

The mad traitor explained, "You wanna know why I want that scroll? The power of that knowledge? Once I have it in my hands, I will be able to rip apart the heavens and crumble the earth below my feet! I will be able to rule over this land like a god and not even the old man Hokage can stand in my way! Naruto wants the scroll for his own power and his own revenge upon the village, and that how he's just like me! But he doesn't need it, seeing as he's got a monster inside of him to do all the work! I need that scroll more than him! That's how monsters are! He'll pour all his rage into the scroll AND DESTROY EVERYTHING!"

"You're right on something there." the younger chunin started slowly.

At hearing his teacher say that, Naruto began to cry crocodile tears. What Mizuki said about Iruka was actually right. He didn't want to believe it, as the darkness inside of him began to make it's way into his heart. The mindscape began to turn dark and Harry panicked as he felt the fox's power radiate all the way into his side of the dominion. He went on-full panic mode when he heard the fox make a low growling sound as it was beginning to stir in it's sleep. Naruto's growing despair was beginning to wake up it's evil spirit.

'**_Naruto! Snap out of it!_**'

The heartbroken boy ignored his companion, as he believed that the closet person he knew never even liked him to begin with and saw only the fox with nine tails. He hid his face from view and almost gave into the darkness, until he heard Iruka's voice again.

"That's what a _monster_ does... but that's not what Naruto is like at all... He works hard, put's his whole heart into everything he does... Sure, he messes up a lot and everyone jumps on him... But that's what's made him so strong and what will make him become something so much greater in the future... That's what separates him from being that stupid fox, what makes him a human being... You were wrong about him, Mizuki. He's nothing like that monster at all, I knew that since the first time I met him and learned his name. He's Naruto Uzumaki! A free citizen of Konohagakure no Sato!"

The darkness quickly disappeared with every word that came out of Iruka's mouth and Naruto slowly lifted his head. The darkness in the mindscape quickly disappeared and Harry felt relaxed as he felt his enchantments strengthen with his younger brother's uplifted spirits. The boy continued to cry big, fat tears, only this time they were tears of untold joy and happiness. He couldn't possibly describe how happy he felt when he heard those touching and honest words from his teacher. How much it meant to him for Iruka to say those truthful words out loud.

Mizuki looked down at the young man from across the meadow with an irritated and ignorant look on his pale and pointed face, "You tree-hugging faggot... You actually believe in that alabaster retard?"

As Iruka took a breath to insult Mizuki back for saying that about his student, a sharp pulse of pain struck at his back as the wound from the giant shuriken bled profusely. The young man twitched and coughed as he slumped back against the tree he was resting on. Naruto sensed his sensei was in danger and found the courage that had always been hiding inside his heart suddenly give him the strength to stand up and fight.

Mizuki said menacingly, "You know... I was hoping on killing you as soon as I got to Naruto, but I've changed my mind, Umino...I wanna kill you now..."

Naruto's eyes narrowed angrily at hearing that ignorant jerk threatening to kill the closest thing he had to a father. Harry sensed the power that his younger brother built up within him and had complete and total faith in his strength and abilities. The older brother sat up from his seat and looked up with an expression on his face that was like a mirror of younger brother.

'_**K**_**_ick his arse, Little one._**'

Mizuki spun the second shuriken and roared at Iruka with the same voice Naruto heard in the library on that night six years ago, "YOU'RE FINISHED!"

As the traitor charged forward to end Iruka's life, the young teacher made no effort to prevent his ultimate fate. The injury on his back did it's damage and prevented him from moving out of the way. The pain was too much to handle and the loss of blood left him too lightheaded and sick. He was about to close his eyes and face his death like a true shinobi, the last thing he could think of before he was ready to die was Naruto Uzumaki, his most precious student.

He said sadly with his thoughts, '_Naruto-kun..._' as if he were talking to him again at the Ichiraku Ramen noodle bar, '_I'm so sorry..._ _I really wanted to be there for you..._'

"EAT THIS!"

{{_Hedwig's Theme by John Williams_}}

Out from below Mizuki, an orange blur appeared from nowhere and kicked him right in the bony chin. The white-haired traitor was flung backward, his shuriken flew off course and embedded itself deep into the trunk of a tree at the end of the meadow. Mizuki fell backwards, turning his body reflexively and regretting his reflex as his face hit the dirt on the ground, scrapping the entire right side of his face. Naruto dragged himself on the ground steadily by his feet before he slowed down and stopped with the scroll pressed into the earth and grass. The boy stood up more tall and brave than he ever stood before in his entire life. He stared down at his raw-faced enemy without a trace of fear in his sapphire eyes

Iruka gasped in complete surprise but soon fear griped at his heart when his student through himself into the fire of danger.

Mizuki picked himself off the ground, shaking with explicit rage, wanting nothing more in the world than to kill Naruto with his bare hands, "You... little..." the chunin instructor stopped at seeing the look of determination in his eyes and froze as he uttered the following statement.

"If you _ever_ lay a hand on my sensei again... I'll kill you..."

Iruka yelled for Naruto to leave him, not wanting his only-remaining student to risk his life his sake. He kept screaming for him to run away and save himself, not wanting to ever see a student as precious as Naruto get hurt at the hands of a man who was triple his age, height, and weight.

"You little shit... I'm GONNA TEAR YOU APART!" Mizuki lunged forward.

Naruto prepared himself and remembered the taijutsu lessons that Iruka taught him in his recent two years at the Academy. He dropped down and kicked Mizuki in the one weak point that was a fail-safe for any situation. He hit his enemy in the groin, causing the traitor to fall back and double over. Naruto stepped forward and sucker-punched Mizuki right in the face, before the older man grabbed hold of the child and tossed him out into the trees. Iruka yelled but then stopped as his student caught himself in the trees and stood up tall on top of the branch he grabbed onto.

"Is that all you got?" the boy yelled, "BRING IT ON!"

The blonde-haired preteen lunged down to the ground gracefully and withdrew the only kunai he had brought with him. Mizuki drew out a kunai as well and the two of them dashed toward each other and clashed with the sounds of clanging metal. Mizuki should have overcome the inexperienced Academy student easily, but somehow, Naruto was able to put up a fight of physical strength with a power he had no idea that he had. The white-haired man was loosing a battle of strength to a twelve year old child. Mizuki tried to push forward and intimidate Naruto with his maddening eyes and looked deep into his blue sapphires. Naruto's googles loosened for a split second before they dropped over his eyes and his secret identity was revealed to the head instructor. He glared at Naruto and whispered to him too quietly for Iruka to hear.

"You're the library thief... I knew it... Wait til I tell everyone in the village, they'll have you hanged..."

Naruto used wandless magic to will his goggles up against his forehead before he glared at Mizuki with sheer hatred. His heightened emotions helped to fuel his strength with the help of his surfaced magic, "I'd like to see you prove it, you stupid Muggle..."

Th evil teacher blinked at being called that name but it was enough for Naruto to push him away and slice the air with his kunai, cutting Mizuki's left cheek. The white-haired traitor felt the knife cut his face and he lost himself to a fit of rage. He jumped back and attempted to kill Iruka by throwing his kunai at the chunin while he was defenseless. Naruto yelled and threw his only kunai and deflected it from even getting close to his favorite teacher. The child glared at Mizuki with a rage that could only come out of him and nobody else.

"_I'M_ YOUR OPPONENT, YOU COWARD!"

Mizuki roared with laughter and taunted the child foolishly, "You still think you can beat me? You better give up before I destroy you with a single move!"

"Give it your best shot, you pathetic scumbag... Whatever you've got to throw at me, I'll throw it back a thousand-fold!" he boy said fiercely.

Naruto put his hands together, forming a handsign with his middle and pointer fingers on both hands to form a cross. He let his chakra flow like a great river and focused on creating as many clones as he possibly could. Mizuki laughed again at the boy when he looked so serious, but soon it stopped when he snarled and got ready to slice Naruto's throat with another kunai he had hidden up his sleeve. He wanted Iruka to watch this, he wanted him to see this boy die right here with crimson blood gushing out of his neck like a fountain. Mizuki wanted to do so many violent and despicable things, that the desires alone practically caused his mind to shatter beyond repair.

"SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO, KYUUBI NO KITSUNE!"

Naruto let this chakra flow as he executed the jutsu on a level he had never done before with any technique or spell. With his desire to keep his sensei away from harm, he caused the entire meadow to become engulfed with white smoke as he roared the name of the forbidden technique for the very first time.

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

Once the smoke cleared, the meadow became filled with over a thousand perfect copies of Naruto. There were copies of him hanging from tree branches, hiding behind tree trunks, and surrounding Mizuki, while over fifty of them stood tall in front of Iruka, ready to defend him at a second's notice. All of the clones filled the meadow to it's absolute capacity, making it seem as though there were over a million of them in all. The shadow clones all looked the same as they glared down at the astonished Mizuki. The man's gloating face froze, as his eyes seemed to bulge at the sight of all of them surrounding him.

Iruka sat there in awe at the sight of this scene, '_Naruto, you... Those aren't illusions, they're solid clones! Made of actual flesh and blood! He's mastered a jounin-level jutsu! That's impossible! No! It's incredible!_'

Mizuki failed to realize what had happened. He toppled and kept turning his head, trying to see how many enemies he now had to face. As he counted the number of clones, his confidence in a victory rapidly declined as the numbers reached dangerously close to over one thousand. He now started spinning around, trying to look for an exit, but started to pale even more when he realized that Naruto would not allow him to escape. The boy anticipated his idea and made sure that none of his clones had enough space between them for even a mouse to fit through.

"W-what is this? What's happening? He shouldn't be able to-" the traitor stammered.

All of the Naruto began to talk as if they were one, egging for Mizuki to attack. He taunted him and playfully let him make the first move, knowing that he probably wouldn't dare. The only words Mizuki was able to make out of the overwhelming number of voices were just these three questions said over and over but with different clones;

"What's the matter, Mizuki? I thought you said you were gonna kill me? What are you waiting for?"

The bloodless traitor toppled again, falling to the ground and trying to back away from the clones as they seemed to grow taller and closed in on him. Mizuki, out of fear, threw the hidden kunai he had planned to kill the original Naruto with, only for one of the clones to lazily tilt their head out of the way and let the weapon whizz over him and fly off into the dark of night. Once said clone got back into position, he glared at Mizuki, causing the others around him to also glare as they slowly approached their cowering enemy. Mizuki sweat profusely as his face was so drained of blood that he could've passed as a cousin to Lord Voldemort. The cowardly man trembled and whimpered pathetically as tears began to well-up in his eyes.

All of the Naruto's said together as they clicked their knuckles, "_If you're not coming after me, then _**_we're_**_ coming after you!_"

Mizuki urinated his pants and let the last drop of his blood in his face seep out to his lower body before all of the clones of the Konohagakure jinchuuriki stormed at him in a stampede, ready to unleash him a world of pain.

"**NAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOO!**"

The air became filled with the sounds of ripping clothes, unstoppable punches meeting solid flesh and bone, as well as the sound of breaking bones and knocked out teeth. The shadow clones unleashed upon Mizuki a gathered hatred of all his past troubles and frustrations upon the one man that had dared to go beyond what everyone else did and tried to actually murder him. As each punch from each clone hit Mizuki's face, chest, or private area, the real Naruto could feel more and more at peace with the village as he let years of regressed stress and unhappy emotions seep out until he felt wholesome again. By the time he was finished, Mizuki was unconscious and toothless. Naruto had punched out all of his teeth, flooding his mouth with so much blood that he could drown in it. Several of Mizuki's ribs were broken and pierced one of his lungs as his faint breath was irregular. Naruto had broken one of his legs and one of his arms, as they were bent in the wrong directions. Mizuki's face was now terribly disfigured and swollen to the point where he could no longer be recognized.

Mizuki barely put up any effort to fight as the massive numbers of small blonde, orange-clad boys came in by storm and annihilated him all the way until dawn was approaching. When it was all over, all of Naruto's clones vanished with a puff of white smoke, leaving the original standing over Mizuki's slowly dying and twitching body with an uncomfortable smile on his face while he rubbed the back of his neck once he saw what he had done to him. Harry had watched the whole thing, not contributing to the power that Naruto displayed in front of both himself and Iruka.

The only word Harry could say at seeing his little brother having done so much devastating damage to one person was the only word that seemed fitting.

'**_Fantastic._**'

Naruto said out loud, "Well... It's done... Ooh... I think I might have gotten carried away..."

The boy perked up when he heard some shifting and saw Iruka pop a soldier pill into his mouth and started using a very simple medical jutsu to heal up some of the damage he sustained earlier. Naruto's eyes soften at seeing him grimace in pain and asked out of deep concern, "Are you okay, Iruka-sensei?"

The young man coughed once he was done and smiled at Naruto to reassure him, "Yeah... I'm okay..."

Iruka looked at Naruto, who was still up and awake after staying up the whole night, escaping from being captured, learning the truth of the Kyuubi, fighting and then defeating one of the most highly-skilled chunin in the entire village. he went through all of that and he still had the energy to worry about him and stay up as if he never had to sleep at all. Iruka's smiled grew more warm at the sight of his hardest-working student, seeing him having survived this hellish night without any serious injuries.

'_He's amazing... I didn't want to have to have him forget his dream or become crushed by it... But now I think... No... I _know _now that he can actually do it... He can really surpass all of the Hokage... He really might do it..._'

The chunin thought of something after he reviewed over everything that had happened between almost dying at the hands of his psychopath boss and after Naruto pummeled him into the ground with no trouble, showing physical prowess he didn't know he was capable of, but what he always sensed that Naruto could do. He also took into account that his student managed to master a jutsu that he himself couldn't hope to master in years, and Naruto learned it and mastered it in a few short hours.

He made up his mind and he gave his student a smile with a sad sigh as this meant that he wouldn't be coming back to school next year, "Naruto... Come here a minute... I've got something I want to give you... Something you deserve to have..."

* * *

><p>Back at the courtyard of the Administration Building, a large group of chunin and jounin shinobi were gathered and arguing amongst themselves while they grew desperate as to how they would capture and possibly eliminate Naruto for good in order to keep the secrets of the Scroll of Sealing safe. Voices were raised and shouts were so loud that they could wake the slumbering neighborhoods as the dawn approached in a few minutes.<p>

"Have any of you found Naruto yet?"

"Not a chance."

"Couldn't find him anywhere!"

"This isn't good, we gotta smoke him out or something!"

"I say we kill him on site, before the ANBU take care of it!"

"Why didn't Hokage-sama just order them to wipe him out instead of sending us?"

The arguing and planning all stopped when Sarutobi himself walked up to the crowd as the skies began to turn brighter with each passing second. The footsteps of the old Hokage's feet silencing them as he called out for their attention, "There is no longer any need to worry..."

The crowd turned to see their Hokage, standing there with a calm smile on his face and smoking his pipe contently.

"Hokage-sama!" many of them gasped as they turned to face him.

Sarutobi smiled at his people, finding their sucking-up faces to be amusing. He had just gotten back from his private office, having watched the events concerning the scroll after the discovery of it's theft through his crystal ball. In the time since, he learned the truth of the scroll's theft and Mizuki's betrayal. He quickly found out that the traitor tricked and instructed Naruto to commit the thievery before he repotted the crime and called for the manhunt. The old Hokage had a good feeling that the head instructor was behind the whole thing, believing that it was Mizuki who had committed the library thefts several years ago, since he was the only person who could have possibly done it. It didn't surprise the old man to find out about this betrayal, but he had no idea that Mizuki would go as far as breaking the most sacred decree that he had ever established in his position as Hokage. While he feared the confrontation that was soon to come between himself and Naruto, he still wore a smile on his aged face and got himself ready for a good and long talk with his grandson about the truth.

"The scroll is now in safe hands... Naruto will be back home soon..."

* * *

><p>{{<em>There Are Ways &amp; The Power of Love by John Williams<em>}}

Naruto could not see a thing in this darkness. Iruka had Naruto come up to him once he stood up and had him close his eyes until he told him to open them again. While his eyes were closed and he placed his trust in his sensei, he felt him reach out and remove his signature green goggles before he felt something warm and smooth as the finest silk being tied around his forehead. He kept his promise by keeping his eyes closed, but his curiosity threaten to force him to break his promise and see what was going on.

"Iruka-sensei... C-can I please..."

His teacher answered him in a calm and warm voice, "Okay... You can open your eyes now..."

He opened them up slowly, but then closed them again as he was blinded by the extraordinary beam of the breaking dawn. Once his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, Naruto could see his sensei as clear as the first rays of the early morning sun erupted out from in between the leaves and trees surrounding them in the meadow. He looked up to his tall teacher and felt that something on his face was missing. Naruto quickly summed up that his headband was gone, exposing his tan forehead and several stands of hair dropping down and making him look even more handsome. When he started wondering where his headband had disappeared to, Naruto spotted his green goggles hanging loosely in Iruka's fingers. At seeing this, his hand shot to his forehead, and he felt the cold steel of his teacher's headband.

Naruto's jaw dropped as Iruka smiled down at him in a mixture of happiness and pride. As if he were a father, proud of his son for finally becoming a shinobi. Just then, the powerful yellow sun had fully risen above the mountains of the far east and shined it's light against the student and his teacher, creating a heavenly aurora that encompassed the injured chunin as if he were some sacred holy figure.

"Congratulations! YOU GRADUATE!"

Naruto's jaw dropped further as the pain and stress from all the suffering he endured from the past three years of school were lifted from his shoulders as if they never even happened. Making this single moment the happiest moment in his school life. The happiest morning of his entire life.

Iruka didn't stop there, "And to celebrate, I have a surprise! We're going out for ramen tonight! What do ya say?"

Naruto wanted to cry.

He just wanted to break down and cry right there in front of his teacher in untold happiness. Iruka had given him his own headband and officially graduated him from the Ninja Academy forever. Freeing him from the pain of hiding his abilities for another year. To finally be free of all the endless books, studying, quizzes, and tests. Away from the stress and all of the pain that public school forced upon him. Naruto's lips twitched and threatened to release poorly suppressed sobs of joy. But Naruto braved it when Iruka opened his eyes to see what kept him so quiet before he was attacked by his favorite student and given one of the first of many bear hugs he would get from him.

"_Iruka-sensei!_" he cried in joy.

The older man caught the small boy as he fell down against the tree he was standing close to. He gasped in pain briefly when his injured back hit against the smooth surface of the tree but braved it very well, as he suffered from worse injuries. From there he started tickling Naruto like an older brother would to his younger sibling or how a loving father would treat their son after they had just graduated from the Academy. Naruto laughed in joy and constantly readjusted his headband while Iruka chuckled and kept telling him how proud he was of him and tickled him in between sentences.

After some time had passed, Iruka gave Naruto a hug, thankful that he was alive and safe. He was also very proud of him after everything that had happened. All of his other students were put to shame in comparison to what this blonde child accomplished in this one night. Naruto smiled as he felt Harry's touch and it felt as if he were being hugged by both his sensei and his older brother. He could practically feel Harry's cheek brushing against his hair as if he too was deathly afraid of maybe losing him in that heated battle against that psychopath head instructor.

'**_You were so brave... Congratulations, Little one...! _****_I'm so proud of you...!_**'

Naruto shook his head as the sun began to heat up his cold and wet body as he thought back to how well he had acted when he was hiding the fact that he already knew about the fox. Harry finally expressed his opinion while Naruto and Iruka left the scene of the fight, leaving Mizuki's body there to rot while they carried the scroll to give it back to it's rightful owner.

Harry had said to him, '**_Yeah, remind me to give you an Oscar when we get home, Daniel Day-Lewis._**'

'_Oh, shut up..._'

And then he went back into envisioning how many ramen bowls he would get to eat once he and Iruka reported to the Hokage. To which Harry replied with a groan of dismay at imagining how much Naruto would try to gorge himself to death with all the ramen bowls the boy counted in his head.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>A classic moment in the Naruto story... Sigh...<strong>

**Kvsyaoran: But back to the mystery around Azeroth44's disappearance, who do we know who likes to steal bodies at random for no ambiguous reason?**

**Naruto: Madara?**

**Kvsyaoran: No.**

**Naruto: Cartman?**

**Kvsyaoran: No.**

**Naruto: Deidara?**

**Kvsyaoran: No.**

**Naruto: Zetsu?**

**Kvsyaoran: Nah, he just eats bodies for food...**

**Naruto: Kabuto?**

**Kvsyaoran: ...THAT SON OF A BITCH!**

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><p>Preview of the next chapter: Kushina Revealed!<p>

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><p>Don't forget to leave behind a nice review to inspire me! :)<p> 


	9. The Hero of Our Village

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/ Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's Thoughts/other people's thoughts

'_**Blah**_': Harry talking to Naruto

* * *

><p><strong>Now that we've got ourselves a lead on who took Azeroth44's body, I'll send out our random stone and metal knights and soldiers to seek him out!<strong>

**Naruto: You have powers now? Since when?**

**Kvsyaoran: Ever since I saw the new trailer and exclusive scenes from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2! (Pulls out black and silver wand)**_** Piertotum Locomotor**_**!**

**(Statues and suits of armor come out of the earth and come to life to set out for battle)**

**Kvsyaoran: Bring back Azeroth44 at once! Do your duty to your master!**

**Naruto: That is so freaking amazing!**

**Kvsyaoran: Wait until you get to do it later in the series!**

**Naruto: SWEET!**

**Kvsyaoran: Yeah, but I guess I can settle once I see the scene when McGonagall summons the statues...**

**Naruto: That will be so COOL!**

**Kvsyaoran: Fun fact! I actually listened to a preview of when the statues are being assembled and sent into battle as well as when the spell the Order of the Phoenix casts to created the protective barrier over Hogwarts! IT'S THE MOST EPIC MUSIC I'VE EVER HEARD IN THE HISTORY OF EVER!**

**Naruto: I wish I had music like that playing when I got ready for battle...**

**Kvsyaoran: Last topic before we start, the first track on the soundtrack, I'm fully convinced that Enya supplied her voice for the song, Lily's Theme! I'm certain of it!**

**Naruto: The chick that sang the song May It Be from the Fellowship of the Ring?**

**Kvsyaoran: The very same voice! I've listen to Enya ever since I was little! And I LOVE the song, May It Be!**

**Naruto: With that said, let's get it on!**

**Kvsyaoran: Indeed!**

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto**

**Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: The Hero of Our Village<p>

* * *

><p>By the time the teacher and student arrived at the village, the sun was almost over the peak of the mountains and blanketed the slowly awakening village with powerful rays of yellow sunlight. Iruka was carrying the Scroll of Sealing in his arms while Naruto stuck close to him as they made their way to the Administration Building. Once they reached the courtyard outside the large red building, two ANBU came out of nowhere, preventing them from going through until Iruka showed them the scroll.<p>

Naruto was certain he heard one of them mumble something awful about him, but he ignored it and followed his teacher. The two of them entered the building and walked up numerous spiraling staircases and twisting hallways until they reached the Hokage's office. The receptionist at the end of the corridor opened the doors for them both and they stepped in to see the old man looking out towards the village through one of the large windows.

Once the doors closed behind them, the old man took in a breath of smoke from his pipe and faced the two shinobi that had entered. Sarutobi smiled at them sadly and gestured for them to sit down in the chairs in front of his desk. Iruka stood and kept the scroll in his arms as Naruto collapsed into a chair and waited for the reprimand he felt would come at any moment.

The old man walked over to the two boys and said, "Thank the Gods, you both are alright..."

Iruka handed over the heavy scroll to the old Hokage who took it gently and let Iruka sit down at last. He placed the sacred scroll into a cabinet with a special locking seal attached to it, ensuring its preservation and protection. He soon sat down in his chair behind the great oak desk and tucked his old pipe away after he cleaned out the ashes. Naruto took the time to look around the office as he always did and noted that it hadn't changed one bit ever since he was last in here.

Sarutobi started with, "Naruto, I just want you to know that you _do not_ deserve to be punished after everything that has happened to you tonight."

The boy nodded.

"And I really wish to talk to you about what Mizuki told you in the forest... I have a lot of explaining to take care of..."

Naruto paused and asked curiously, "What's going to happen to him? ... Mizuki… he said that there was a decree that you made when I was born... What will happen now that he has broken it?"

Sarutobi hesitated and thought of what Mizuki had done and said that had earned him not only his beating but his ultimate fate as well, "Ah, I'm afraid, that for breaking the decree I set twelve years ago, and given the fact that he not only tried to kill you and Iruka in cold blood, but he also wished to overthrow the village. He risked the safety of everyone in the village in obtaining the scroll that belonged to the Shodai Hokage... I would say that he would be put to death... He was warned when I set the law, and he knew what would happen if he told the truth out loud to you..."

Naruto nodded again, and Iruka placed a warm hand on his shoulder as he sensed the child needed to be comforted.

Hiruzen coughed lightly and said, "Now for you, Iruka..." The young man looked up to his boss and listened intently, but did not remove his hand from Naruto's once scraped-up shoulder, "You require medical attention at once... Would you please go downstairs and get yourself fixed up?"

"No, thank you, sir. I'll be fine. I want to make sure Naruto isn't-" but before he could finish his sentence, Hiruzen interrupted him abruptly.

He reached out kindly, "With all due respect, Iruka... I understand you want to make sure Naruto is safe and sound, but this is really something I must talk to him about alone... Plus, you're bleeding all over the place now, and you'll die if not taken care of immediately..."

Iruka looked around him and saw that he almost dripped his blood on top of the expensive-looking chair he sat on. He hesitantly removed his hand from Naruto and stood up with the help of a medic who had just walked in and assisted Iruka to the medical department downstairs.

But before he left, he turned to Naruto and told him with a warm smile, "I'll see you at Ichiraku Ramen later tonight, Naruto... I promised you ramen... We'll talk once we're there, okay?"

The boy nodded with a smile and waved goodbye while the medic half-carried Iruka as he continued to bleed from the wound on his back again. Naruto watched his sensei leave as the punctured red swirl on the back of his uniform disappeared from the distance and vanished once the double doors had closed, leaving Naruto and Hiruzen to talk alone.

"Do not worry about Iruka..." said the Hokage, "He will be okay, Naruto... The medical staff waiting downstairs is some of the best in the village..."

Naruto turned to face his grandfather, and right there Hiruzen adopted a look of unspeakable remorse and guilt, "Naruto... I am so sorry for hiding the truth from you after all these years... I wouldn't be surprised if you never even wanted to speak to me again..."

The boy shook his head insistently, "No, not at all... It's just... I just wanted to know why you hid the Kyuubi away from me for so long... Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"I was afraid of how you would take the bad news..." he said, "I felt that if you had no knowledge of the truth about the Kyuubi no Kitsune, then I wouldn't have to cause you anymore pain and give you a chance to have a normal and blissful childhood... When I created the decree of secrecy, I intended for the villagers and shinobi to treat you as if you were a normal child... If it would help, I set up the decree so that it was forbidden for the older generation to tell anyone else from the younger generation about the truth... that way, you could have a better chance of making friends... But to my dismay, the villagers and the shinobi were too stubborn and refused to let go of their hurt feelings about the fox demon attacking and had you ostracized as if you were to blame for it all... Even going so far as to set their children an example to shun you for reasons they had no idea of... It was my fault, because I have the power as a leader to help my people understand that you only contain the beast, and that you are not the beast itself..."

Naruto closed his eyes as the full truth became apparent to him. He listened to Sarutobi go on to explain what he already knew and tried to have Naruto understand that the Yondaime never wanted to do this to him and burden him with a fate he never asked for. Naruto went on and was honest when he said that he didn't hate the Yondaime for his actions and that he understood why he had done it. In the end, Sarutobi was surprisingly relieved to see that Naruto still admired the Hokage, especially the Yondaime. It looked, to both the wizards, as if the Sandaime had just dodged a bullet.

But even at the end of their long talk and discussion, Naruto still had something on his mind that was troubling him after accepting the fox, his magic, and his older brother's soul residing beside his own. There was something on his mind that really caused him to think and even doubt himself as well as his existence.

{{_Something Is Troubling You/Godric Gryffindor by John Williams_}}

"Is there something troubling you, Naruto-kun?" he asked gently.

Naruto said slowly, "Yes... I... it's just... taking all of this in… It's just... It's just that... It's forcing me to question... whether or I'm truly human or not..."

Sarutobi tilted his head ever so slowly.

"With this_ thing_ inside of me... does it mean that I'm just a stockpile for souls and spirits? That the person who I think I am was just designed through the seal the Yondaime placed on me? Am I just a living prison that walks around until the seal fails and lets this thing go again? I really need to know that I am who I think I am, Grandpa..."

The old man stood up from his seat and sat down in the chair next to the worried child, placing his hand on his shoulder, "I assure you that you are and always will be human, Naruto-chan. I promise you..."

Naruto could not accept it quite yet; "That's not good enough… I just can't take your word for it… I have to have proof that I came from someone… That at one time, I belonged somewhere around the beginning… I need to know that you're not making it up and that I was _born_ not _made_ in some government lab! I-I need to know, Grandpa… Please… One shred of proof would be more than enough for me to accept it..."

The old man darkened his expression and thought carefully of his next actions as he massaged Naruto's tense shoulder. He went over the scenarios and thought over what other truths he should and should not reveal to Naruto that would indefinitely give him the answers he sought. Once he had come up with the correct way to answer, Sarutobi spoke up with a soft and solemn tone of voice,

"Then it's time I told you..."

Naruto looked up and watched as the old Hokage stood up and walked over to one of the cabinets and found a leather photo album. He then took with him an empty scarlet-leather album and placed them both down onto the table in between the two chairs. Sarutobi sat back down in his seat and opened the album, facing away from Naruto. He flipped through the pages and took out numerous photos and placed several of them into the new red one. Once he was finished and Naruto was thoroughly confused, he removed one picture from the black album and closed the books before he rested the one picture facedown on top of both books he put back down.

Sarutobi sighed and looked at Naruto sadly, "A long time ago, when you were no bigger than a fisherman's boot, you asked me where your mommy was... I told you that she was up in heaven... But for the longest time, I never told you who she was or what she even looked like... That was my selfish and foolish mistake, Naruto... I should have shown you what she looked like and what she thought of you instead of telling you where she was every time you asked about her... I cannot imagine what you must have assumed on your own about your heritage, but I can bet that not a lot of your theories were exactly positive ones as you grew older and saw the dark side of the world..."

The old man took the photo and was about ready to give it to Naruto, "To help reassure your belief that you are in fact human... I'm going to tell you who your mother was... It's only fair that you get to know whom it was that you came from... The person who gave you life before the Kyuubi tried to take it away..."

The old man offered the photograph to Naruto, who looked at it with wide and anxious eyes as he heard the name of his mother for the very first time.

"Your mother's name was Kushina Uzumaki..."

{{_The Reunion by John Williams_}}

Naruto slowly took the photograph from his grandfather's warm and wrinkled hand and trembled when he turned it around and looked into his mother's face for the first time. His eyes, if they could, widened even more as his mouth opened slightly and all thoughts failed him as Harry also stared in shock at what she looked like.

'_**She looks... just like... **_**my**_**...**_'

Naruto couldn't describe it in any way possible. But in the words of the average writer; she was the most beautiful woman Naruto had ever seen before in his life. The models in magazines and commercials on television were hideous and deformed when compared to this young woman here. She had fair skin and brilliant eyes that Naruto couldn't tell were green, blue or violet with the flash quality of this photo. She was a slender but a well-built woman who looked a little bit pregnant. In the picture, she was wearing a high-collar shirt, sleeveless loose-fitting dress with a green apron over it, and a black band on her left wrist. The most amazing part of her appearance to Naruto was the one that stood out the most and took him by storm; her hair. Which was plum-red in color and was so long and flowing that it reached all the way down to her calves, with strands that framed both sides of her magnificent face, with the one on the left being parted by a small hair clip.

Naruto looked at her frozen expression carefully and saw that she was laughing lightly as she reached up to move some strands out of her face and smiling warmly at the camera.

Sarutobi explained her origins while his grandson just sat there and stared at his mother, "She was originally transferred here when she was a little girl from the village of Uzushiogakure. She moved here with her parents (they passed away some years ago after she married), and attended the Ninja Academy. She was a talkative and hotheaded sort of girl as she started growing up. Very tomboyish, but in time she grew up to be a very levelheaded and cheerful woman. She became close friends with Mikoto Uchiha as well as a great deal of other people, including the late Yondaime Hokage... In fact... Minato Namikaze was your..." the Hokage hesitated, "... your mother's best friend..."

"M-my mom was _friends_ with the Yondaime?" he asked in astonishment.

Sarutobi smiled sadly, "Yes... they... got along very well after they both graduated and remained close friends well-into his candidacy as the Hokage..."

"What about my dad...?" the boy asked with great interest.

Sarutobi took some time before answering, "He... he was a very good man... You inherited most of his looks, while you got your personality from your mother..." the Hokage smiled warmly as he gazed into Naruto's eyes and remembered how scared and quiet he used to be and noticed how much he had changed from that, "The two of you are very much alike, you could pass as clones, if you had her looks... She was a quiet and frightened person when I first knew her, having moved here at such a young age. But soon, she grew up to be a very outspoken and fearless young woman with a fire in her eyes so powerful that it could scare away any man that came across her path... Except for your father... The two of them met at the Academy and were in the same class. They grew closer as time flew by them, even when they were put on different genin teams. In time, their friendship blossomed into a beautiful romance that could even transcend lifetimes... Before I even knew it, he proposed to your mother and then she was pregnant with you... That photo you're holding was taken sometime after she and your father learned that you were on the way..."

Naruto looked down at his mother and could only pray that this magnificent and beautiful woman didn't leave him after the Kyuubi was sealed inside of him. After reading what he was thinking through his facial expressions, Sarutobi answered his prayer.

"She loved you, Naruto... Your mother loved you more than she loved anything else in the world... She even loved you just the same, or even more, after she found out that the Kyuubi was sealed inside of you... She didn't care about the fox, as the love for her only son conquered any hope of resentment... It doesn't come as much of a surprise, seeing as a mother's love can stand strong against pretty much anything that's in it's path... not even an ancient demon could keep her from loving her own child... When she learned of the truth, she refused to let you suffer and was determined to care and provide for you for the rest of her life... She was devoted to you until the very end..."

Naruto smiled and almost sobbed at hearing that his mother never resented him and his eyes began to become blurred with tears as he learned of how much Kushina loved him. His lips trembled as another question came rising from his heart and out through his mouth. The question he couldn't stop from asking even if he tried.

"What happened to my parents, Grandpa...?" he asked.

Sarutobi answered slowly, "Your father was killed by the Kyuubi in battle... As a shinobi, he tried to fight it and keep you and your mother safe from harm... He died a fearless and honorable man..."

Naruto, again, couldn't stop the question that he felt maybe he shouldn't know the answer to. But he had to know what had happened to his mom and know for sure that she didn't abandon him. But when he thought about it in a microsecond, the idea of obtaining the knowledge on how she might have died scared him more than the shuriken Mizuki tried to kill him with a few hours ago.

"A-and my m-mummy?"

Sarutobi hesitated, the pain of that night all coming back to him in a rush, "She was taking care of you while you were in the hospital after the fox was sealed... After which, you had a few medical problems that needed fixing. So you had to stay at the hospital for over six months. After your mother recovered from her pregnancy, she started working at the hospital, seeing as they were short on staff and needed help treating and healing the wounded, and so she could be close to you. She worked around the clock and helped with a lot of doctors and medical personnel while she also balanced taking care of you. She would feed you, play with you, help you get to sleep, and was a natural at getting you to stop crying... But on the night before the two of you would get to go home, there was a terrible accident... Your mother was called to get something for another doctor and she had to go into the damaged ward to find it... It was the part of the hospital that was still damaged from the Kyuubi attack... It was said that she went in there alone... and she never came out… From my office, I heard it happen... I heard a sonic boom and saw the entire wing go up in flames and smoke... Shortly after that, I found out that your mother was..."

Naruto felt the tears rush out of his eyes as sound refused to escape from his throat. He was happy to know that his mother never abandoned him, but his heart tore to pieces at learning of her fate.

The Hokage pulled Naruto into a hug and rocked him gently, "... I'm so sorry... After the explosion... I took it upon myself to take care of you... There were... others before, but none of them felt that they could handle with taking care of you and they left you with me... After that, I raised you as if you were my own and called you my grandson... I took care of you as best I could in the same way Kushina would have... but alas, I failed you as the Council took control over who had custody over you, seeing as you were a citizen and therefore under their control… I fought to ensure you had a happy childhood... But an old man's failure to keep his promise and there you lived in that miserable apartment... I'm sorry that I have failed you as a Hokage, Naruto... and even more as a grandfather..."

"You didn't fail me, Grandpa..." Naruto pulled away and insisted to his elder, "You still cared for me!" the boy sniffed, "You saved me from living on the streets or-or something much worse! Look at how far I've come on my own! She would be proud of me…!"

Sarutobi removed a tissue from his desk and cleaned the tears stained on his grandchild's face and brushed his hair out of his eyes. Hearing him say those words and look so sure of himself reminded him of both this child's mother and Iruka when he was the same age. He finally stopped crying for a few silent minutes as the old man cleaned his face like when he was small.

"Kushina was independent like you as well... She too wanted to prove herself, just as you've been doing all your life... I'm happy to see that unrelenting desire having been passed down from mother to son... And with this pain that you feel, Naruto, isn't that enough proof that you are a man... a human being and not just a jinchuuriki? The fact that you feel as humans do, how similar you are to the woman who had dreamed about you her entire life... You are a human, and always will be, so long as you never forget who you know you are, the people whose hearts you have touched... and where you come from..."

Naruto looked back down at the photo and smiled warmly as he was now sure that he wasn't some herded cattle, or that he was never abandoned as a baby for his status. But there was one last thing on his mind in regards to his lost mother and he asked, "Where is she now?"

"Her remains were buried at the Konoha Cemetery," he answered, "If you want... I will take you to where she is... together, the two of us... Come to me anytime you want, even while I'm working..."

The golden-haired child looked up from the picture and smiled lightly as his loving leader, his grandfather, his mentor Hiruzen Sarutobi, "I would like that... It would be fantastic…"

The old man smiled and he handed over the scarlet leather-bound photo album he was sorting before to his grandson, "In the meantime... I would like you to have this... as a graduation present…"

The boy took it from Sarutobi slowly and opened it up; revealing numerous photos of his mother lining the pages and leaving half of the book empty for new photos to be placed. Naruto looked over the first page and found his mother at once, spotting her wonderful red hair. There were pictures of her taken while she lived at Uzushiogakure, as there were swirl marks all around the local harbor in the background. She was standing in between two older shinobi, a man and woman who both had brilliant red hair like her. Naruto smiled and assumed these people to be his biological grandparents. Behind them were more civilians and shinobi that somehow subtly resembled both the blonde-haired child holding the book and his mother. Naruto noticed that while she was little, she had a well-rounded face, just like he did. But with her hair so red and framing her face, she looked like a tomato. Naruto assumed that she probably wouldn't like to be made fun of with that resemblance to a food, as he would have hated it too.

He flipped through more pages of photographs and found pictures of his mother with so many other people; including the late Mikoto Uchiha when they were in school, Yoshino Nara and her husband when he had just one scar around his face, and Chouza Akimichi before he was two hundred pounds overweight. Naruto flipped the page and found one photograph that was the last of the short Kushina-section. It was a picture of Naruto when he was a little baby. It was a bright morning in one of the hospital rooms and there Kushina sat on her bed with her baby boy nestled soundly in her arms. Naruto smiled at seeing his mother holding him so close to her face as she looked at the camera and tickled her son's newly made facial birthmarks before they slowly started to recede. Naruto reached to his own cheek to the spot where his mother tickled him and could have sworn that he felt her touch through a gap in space-time.

Naruto closed his eyes and closed the book, as the rest of the photos were just his embarrassing baby pictures when he was living with the Sarutobi clan. He rubbed his eyes again and again before looking to the old man looking at him.

"Can I... keep-"

Sarutobi smiled, "Yes. They are yours to treasure... forever..."

From there, Naruto rested the album on the table and lunged at his Hokage and hugged him like when he was small. The strong old man caught him and hugged him back before he patted his back and let him cry out of happiness.

It felt as if this burden had been lifted from the child's shoulders after he discovered that his mother had always loved him and that his parents never abandoned him for his condition. He had found his family, and even though they were gone, he wasn't alone. Because he still had a family right now in the real world. Sarutobi, Harry, Iruka, and maybe even Choji and Shikamaru because he still counted them both as his almost-friends. Naruto now felt like a new person, relieved of the pain that he had suffered for all his life and now he faced the future with his head held up high.

The identity of his father still remained a mystery but Naruto decided that it could wait to be solved, as he wanted to be in this moment now. He couldn't wait to get home and frame some of these photos for him to see as he pleased by his bedside table or hallway table, or even in his kitchen.

* * *

><p><span>Six Days Later<span>

Up on the roof of the Administration Building, Naruto was looking into a small hand-held mirror while he brushed his messy blonde hair out of his face. He was very busy trying to make himself look presentable, because he was having his photograph taken for his shinobi identification. He had already filed out all of the information on his personal profile and now all he had to do was get his photo taken and have it submitted before the offices closed down. Once he was finally done with toning up his face, he was ready to take his picture.

"Perfect!" he happily proclaimed.

'_**Naruto, I must say that you look fantastic for once. Never seen you look so sharp in your life!**_'

'_Oh please! I look about as plain as they can come__! You don't exactly see all the girls in the village chasing after me, do you?_'

'_**You still look fantastic, Little one… Your hair looks like it's made out of pure gold…**_'

'_Thank you, Nii-san._'

The boy wizard walked over to the small chair waiting for him in front of the white-sheet background and light filter. Once he was situated and facing the camera, the once disgruntled photographer swayed in confusion and faltered in his steps before he settled down and looked to the child with a milky glaze in his eyes. It was a sign that the blonde had managed to arrange this last-minute photo session after a clever use of the Confundus Charm.

"Listen up, kid... Are you sure you want me to take your picture like that?"

"Yep! Just make sure get the whole frame!" the boy beamed.

The photographer nodded his head before hiding behind the flash-proof veil, "Alright, then... Smile!"

There was a blinding flash of white light and when his sight was restored the blonde-haired child rubbed his eyes and gathered the photograph from the photographer. He then gathered his few belongings and went on a long walk before he would turn in his entire registration. He stopped in the middle of an empty corridor and adopted a mischievous smirk. Naruto then started gathering magic into his hands and started altering his appearance on the photo.

'_**What do you think you're doing, Little one? As if what you have in store for that Ebisu character wasn't enough…**_'

'_Relax, Nii-san. I'm just going to see if I can try something with this photograph here. I want to see how long it will take for the Hokage to turn this down or if he will still accept it._'

'_**You're an idiot sometimes, you know… But if I can make a suggestion, why not change the shirt into a flag?**_'

* * *

><p>{{<em>Middlesex Times by Michael Andrews<em>}}

Sarutobi looked at Naruto's profile with a flat look on his face. The information was informative and everything that needed to be filled out was filled out in the child's handwriting and a backup, printed copy was made. But despite how informative it was on paper, the picture was the elephant in the room, as Naruto had painted his face gold and scarlet in a twisted swirl and was wearing what appeared to be a large red wig. His clothes were replaced with a red shirt that had the design of the United Kingdom flag, making him look like he were an extreme football fan. Sarutobi was starting to get dizzy and nauseous from just looking at it. The old man's assistant already threw up after the flag's vibrant colors made his eyes hurt and his head to spin as if he had just watched a really bad 3-D movie.

The Hokage's assistant shook his head and scowled at the genin bitterly as the boy smiled and sat down in his seat patiently while he giggled.

"Heeheeheehee!" he laughed, "Y'know at first, I wasn't sure what design I wanted to go with. There were just so many to choose from in this catalog I got on face-paint! I wanted to go with a basketball design, but I didn't have the bone structure. That could only work if I had a head shaped like Iruka-sensei. But in the end, I went with an original design! So what do you think?"

"Do it over," he said.

Naruto whined a little bit, "Awwww!"

"Don't you complain at me, Naruto Uzumaki," the old man snapped, "this identification is highly important. It's supposed to serve for your future clients to identify you and reassure them. No reassured clients, means no missions for you. I want you to arrange another photo session and have your picture taken again, properly this time."

The boy tried to get him to keep it, "Are you sure?"

"Naruto, we cannot accept this photograph..." Sarutobi insisted, "And where is your headband? As a shinobi of Konohagakure, you are required to wear it on official business, missions, and such special occasions such as right now, when your future is being discussed."

The boy wizard was wearing a spare set of goggles he had on in case he lost his old ones, having given his old pair to Iruka to keep as a token of his departure from school life. Though, at being reminded that he wasn't wearing his headband, he readjusted his back-up set of goggles out of habit as he longed to wear his real headband now, "I don't want to wear it until the orientation in class next Monday."

"So you want your headband nice, but you don't want your photograph to be in tip-top shape?"

Naruto gave up with that wacky picture of his and threw his arms up in defeat. He stood up and stomped over to his grandfather and took his old form with him as he stomped his way out of the room. No more than ten seconds later, Naruto returned in lighter steps and slapped the new form down on the table. He grudgingly sat back down in his seat, leaving the Hokage and his assistant wide-eyed and dumbfounded by how fast the child created an entirely brand-new form complete with a perfect picture of him for his official shinobi profile. His face washed clean of paint; his hair, while still incredibly messy, was neatly pressed and combed.

"Umm..." the Hokage said slowly, "Good! Much better, I guess..."

Sarutobi looked away from Naruto's paper and side-glanced to the door on the left side of the room, as he sensed someone pull out a weapon. Naruto sensed it as well and looked over to the door just as it slammed open. A small boy with short spiky brown hair, black eyes, and had a small chip in his front tooth came running in. The boy wore an odd outfit comprised of a yellow t-shirt with the Konoha symbol in red, grey shorts, and a long blue scarf, as well as a strange sort of grey helmet that had an orange frowning face on the right side, a red circle on the left side, and had a hole at the top for his hair to stick out of.

The strange boy lunged into the room and roared at the top of his lungs as he made his way to attack the Hokage. But before he walked in any more than two feet into the unused classroom, he tripped over his own feet and fell face-first onto the wooden floor. The Hokage's assistant protested this boy's actions and starting yelling his mouth off for a brief amount of time. Once the boy recovered, he got onto his knees and pointed at Sarutobi

"Old man! I challenge you! I will become the Godaime Hokage!"

Naruto sweat-dropped at the half-crying form of his surrogate little cousin Konohamaru Sarutobi, the biological grandson of the Sandaime Hokage. The appearance of the child caused the old man to become all the more shameful, as the child frequently embarrassed him like this during meetings and in front of important friends, allies, and once with the daimyo himself.

The old man lowered his headpiece over his face as he flustered with embarrassment, '_Here comes my _actual_ grandson... Not as blonde, but three times as troublesome..._'

(Shikamaru: HEY!)

Then without a warning, a shinobi without a signature flak jacket and wearing a bandanna-style headband with round sunglasses charged through the doorframe to see Konohamaru pointing at his grandfather.

"Are you alright, Honorable Grandson? You should watch where you are running!"

Konohamaru scowled at the jounin behind him and looked over to his older cousin, who gave him a sort of signal and the former nodded in turn. This did not go unnoticed as the shinobi who had charged in, Ebisu, looked over at Naruto with a loud and over-exaggerated gasp at recognizing his obvious orange outfit and blonde hair. He smirked and his eyes turned sharp with hatred at the very sight of our favorite blonde genin in training.

'_It's him! The Kyuubi no Kitsune... He's the worst kind of scum there is..._'

The smaller child had gotten his cue and stormed at Naruto in big steps. Once he was close, he got right into Naruto's face and started yelling at him, pointing his pointer finger a centimeter from the center of his face.

"YOU!" he shrieked, "You were the one who tripped me! DIDN'T YOU!"

Naruto adopted a look of unrelenting anger and grabbed Konohamaru by the collar of his blue scarf, "You fell over your own feet, you dork!"

"PUT HIM DOWN, YOU MONSTER! HE'S THE HONORABLE GRANDSON OF THE SANDAIME HOKAGE!"

The golden-haired child's face turned blank as he looked at Ebisu and glanced over at Konohamaru as if he were studying his face. The younger boy nodded his head and closed his eyes, as he was turned away from the crowd by the desk. Naruto then clenched his fist hard and slammed it right on to the top of Konohamaru's protected head and yelled, "DATTEBAYO!"

Ebisu let out a girlish scream before he turned white and fainted when the brown-haired child hit the ground again, seemingly unconscious. Once Ebisu fell to the floor, Konohamaru turned his head up and looked at the instructor and started laughing his tail off. Naruto smirked and laughed as well as he helped Konohamaru up on his feet and patted his back and shoulder, congratulating him while they left, leaving those who witnessed the scene confused out of their minds. With Ebisu unconscious on the floor and the sounds of both his grandson's laughter slowly fading away down the hall, the Hokage simply scratched his head and practically turned chibi with how confused he was.

"What the hell just happened here?" he asked.

* * *

><p>As the children left the Administration Building, Naruto threw his arm over his cousin and walked passed a recently built speech-stand before departing from the courtyard. The two of them continued to laugh at the reaction of that crazy shinobi teacher that somehow managed to earn the title of Tokubetsu jounin.<p>

"That was brilliant, Konohamaru! You should have seen the look on Ebisu's face!" laughed Naruto.

Konohamaru replied, "He deserved it, boss! He's always going on about how there are shortcuts to becoming Hokage, even though all of his training classes are bogus! PTFFT!"

Ebisu was a private tutor who only took on students who were from a significant shinobi lineage. He was an unnaturally strict and to-the-book teacher who only trained who he deemed were destined to become one of the elite. In truth, he wasn't all that spectacular for a shinobi, as he fell for illusions rather easily, plus, he failed to realize that Naruto and Konohamaru were family friends and that they had acted out the entire fiasco that he thought was a physical assault against the Hokage's grandson. Ebisu was very much like Daikoku, as they both acted as if they were the best of their kind when in truth the two of them were just a hindrance that the village could do well without.

Konohamaru hated him, because he would always call him the Honorable Grandson, a title that robbed him of his actual name and respect as a person. Naruto also hated him particularly, as he had been leading small coup campaigns, demanding Naruto's removal from the village or more harsh and humiliating public restrictions. A lot of them failed and ended up going nowhere, but that didn't stop him from doing what he felt was the righteous thing to do.

Around six days ago, Naruto had spoken to Konohamaru shortly after he left the Hokage's office and was informed of his registration requirements. The smaller child ran into him by mistake and wanted to play with his older cousin. After spending some time catching up, they collaborated and decided to get back at Ebisu with the plan they executed a few minutes ago. That was reason why Konohamaru wore the unusual helmet today, for protection against Naruto's convincing punch to the head.

"I didn't hit too hard, did I, Konohamaru?" he asked.

"Nope! That barely even hurt! So what did Ebisu look like from your view? I missed it!"

Naruto accurately imitated the instructor's expression and stuck his tongue out like a zombie for added effect to make Konohamaru burst into tears laughing so hard. The older boy chuckled merrily as he turned the corner and guided Konohamaru out towards the park to go and drink some vending machine soups for some energy before he would start teaching him a new jutsu that he made up. Konohamaru wasn't the best at mastering simple jutsu, so Naruto took it upon himself to start teaching him and give him a push in the right direction.

* * *

><p>About one hour later, Ebisu finally came to and stood up on his feet in a flash. He then started looking around as the Hokage sorted out the last of the newly registered genin students, even while Ebisu was still unconscious down on the ground next to him. When the Tokubetsu jounin finally came to, he started darting his head in all directions, looking for any sign of Naruto or Konohamaru, completely unaware of the amount of time that had passed.<p>

"Where is the Honorable Grandson? And Naruto! Where did he go?" he asked loudly.

The Hokage answered lazily, "He and Naruto ran along and laughed merrily while they skipped off into the sunset. I have no idea where they could have gone, Ebisu."

"WHAT? THAT'S HORRIBLE! I MUST PUT A STOP TO THIS! AND I'M LATE FOR MY SUMMIT!" he shouted.

Then Ebisu bolted out the door, knocking anyone that stood in his way as he desperately called for Konohamaru. Meanwhile the Hokage remained glued to his chair while he finished his paperwork. He soon responded to Ebisu's wild and over-exaggerated antics.

"What an idiot..."

* * *

><p>"So, I do it like this?" Konohamaru cried as he put his hands together and performed the jutsu.<p>

The younger boy was consumed by smoke and once it all cleared up, Naruto yelled at the image and told him to stop it at once or else his eyes might bleed. Konohamaru stopped as he was told to and Naruto went on and on, going about the same directions of jutsu control that he memorized in Iruka's class. Konohamaru tried it again, showing some improvement and Naruto admitted he was doing much better.

'_**Naruto, that is the most lewd jutsu I have ever seen... and I cannot deny that I love it!**_'

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Sarutobi made his way out of his office and took his well-deserved break on top of the roof of the Administration Building. He took his time to reminisce, as he looked up into the clean faces of Hokage faces. He looked up into his own face, with no sense of pride swelling in his chest. He then looked into the face of Minato Namikaze and sighed as his thoughts turned to Naruto and what he had revealed to him several days ago. The boy seemed so much better now that he knew more about his past and made connections and reconciliation with his deceased mother. He was glad now that he knew half of his origin, though he still sensed the loneliness that had settled in his heart and that he still longed for the void to be filled.<p>

He looked up to his past mentors and asked them with his thoughts as to how they managed as the leaders of their great village. His question was never answered unless you would count when Iruka came in out of nowhere.

"Hokage-sama!" he called before landing behind him, "I've been looking for you."

Iruka was finally all fixed up after his skirmish with Mizuki and was looking alive and well as he always did. With the exception of the bandages covering his cheeks, chin, and his entire neck. His old, bloodstained clothes were thrown away and he was wearing a new set of clothes, courtesy of Sarutobi himself. He even bore a brand-new headband as he gave his original one to Naruto.

Sarutobi asked, "What is on your mind?"

"It's about Naruto. I wanted to know if he's submitted his shinobi profile and genin registration forms yet?"

The old man replied, "Yes, he did. Just a few hours ago..."

'_I still can't believe he fixed his photograph in the space of exactly ten seconds... What is he a magician or something or did he just have a spare profile on hand to throw me off guard?_'

Iruka smiled at hearing that, "You know, just the other night at Ichiraku Ramen, I gave Naruto a big lecture on the road to becoming a shinobi. Heh! He actually stayed awake the whole time! But he's still beaming like mad and only because he just started out with the rank of genin. He thinks now that things will finally begin to change for the better. And I sure hope they do start to change for him!"

Sarutobi turned around to one of his brightest and beloved followers, "I'm glad to see that you're taking up such an interest in his development."

"Yeah..." Iruka smiled warmly, "That night I also promised him that no matter how rough it gets out there for him, that he'll always have me to help him get back on his feet..."

The old Hokage smiled solemnly before frowning and looking up to the stone faces, "It's a very good thing to know that Naruto has you to lean on, Iruka, it truly is... Because I fear that his dream might never come true at all... People can't change their opinions on someone like Naruto so easily..."

The tan-skinned chunin blinked and looked to his mentor with a disappointed frown.

"The Kyuubi no Kitsune is trapped within him... thankfully, not everyone knows this truth; only those who were there on the night of the attack know the truth... I decreed that no one would be allowed to speak a word of the truth; even those who would whisper it would have met the same fate as Mizuki... With the decree set in motion, I intended it so that the children born after the attack of the fox would not make the connection to the beast and Naruto...So long as the children had no knowledge or hint of the truth, Naruto had a sliver of hope of being accepted...It was the final wish of the Yondaime Hokage himself... Did you know that Minato Namikaze's final wish was for the village to worship and treat Naruto as if he were a hero?"

"He did?" asked Iruka.

"The Yondaime defeated the fox by sealing its power into the stomach of a newborn child, whose umbilical cord had been freshly cut... For being able to keep the fox demon in check, Naruto is constantly protecting the village from danger... That is why he is a hero... But the villagers and shinobi refuse to accept this or simply don't understand... With their fear and hatred of the beast driving them, many people have come to believe that he _is_ the fox put into human form... Their children feel their fear and hatred of their parents, so they choose to follow in their footsteps and hate Naruto just as much, without even knowing why they were doing it."

Iruka said depressingly, "That's... It's not fair... It's not fair at all..."

"Do you know what the ancient ones once said about such things, Iruka...?" the old man asked.

"What's that, sir?"

Sarutobi answered, "When the people reject someone's very existence and look at that person, their eyes become cold... cold as an ice storm in the deepest winter..."

At hearing the old Hokage tell him this, Iruka could only cringe as he thought back to how much Naruto must have suffered in all his years of being alone. As he thought that the pain of loneliness was unbearable, he couldn't imagine what it must be like to have people surrounding you, avoiding you, and above all else, hate you for no reason at all and just want you dead. He couldn't imagine what it must have been like for his student to bare this burden on his shoulders and how in the hell he managed to keep his head on straight and have the strength to keep walking.

"I... I don't know what to say…" he said.

Despite what he said, the old man smiled a little bit, "Naruto's dream might not come true tomorrow... but with help and with perseverance... I feel in my heart of hearts that there will always be a chance..."

But then out from nowhere, Iruka and the Hokage heard a commotion coming from the courtyard. It sounded like someone was speaking through a megaphone and gathering numbers of people down below. Sarutobi looked down to see that Ebisu was now occupying the small stage that was built earlier. He was standing on top of the stage and had signs posted around him with pictures of Naruto and a red cross over his face. Iruka looked down to see this and scowled at the man wearing sunglasses, while the Hokage frowned deeply right next to him.

"As a teacher and a trainer of the elite, I say that we must have this monster removed from our village! What good has he done? What _normal child_ defaces a schoolteacher's office and plasters cake all over the stone faces of the ancient leaders? He's a felon and a black stain on our perfect record as a proud village of the five most powerful nations of the world! HE'S A FELON! A MENACE THAT MUST BE STOPPED!"

The Hokage said to Iruka, "Alas, hope is diminished at times, because something like this will keep happening."

* * *

><p>Once it was past noon, Naruto had to take Konohamaru back home and they decided to head back to the Administration Building so that they could scale the face of the mountain to the Hokage Residence. The two of them assumed that Ebisu might be looking for them in the forests, so they didn't expect to be running into him.<p>

When they made their way over to the courtyard outside the Administration Building, they were surprised to see the small gathered crowd of shinobi and villagers. Upon closer inspection, they spotted Ebisu was leading the parade and encouraging the growing crowd into another anti-Naruto movement. The blonde-haired genin stared at the strict teacher and listened to him with a deep and disappointed frown on his face.

"Have you ever wondered what happened to the head instructor Mizuki, my friends? Naruto Uzumaki took him in the middle of the night and beat him until he lost his mind! Now he is facing death at the hands of the corrupt justice system! An innocent man is being put to death tomorrow, all because he didn't like Uzumaki or his antics!"

The crowd jeered and called the poor jinchuuriki an entire mess of hurtful names. Said blonde shinobi then took Konohamaru and covered his ears, so that he wouldn't have to listen to any of the horrible proverbs and obscene adjectives that Ebisu used to describe his older cousin. Up on top of the Administration Building, Iruka tried to resist the urge to jump down there on that stage and give Ebisu a piece of his mind and a good punch in the face for saying those horrible things about his precious student but the Hokage held him back without much effort.

"And what about little Konohamaru, the Honorable Grandson!" he exclaimed, "The beast assaulted him! I saw it with my own eyes! He punched him right in the head! That beast knocked him out, he did! Now he has taken him away and who knows what he is doing to him right now!"

Naruto ignored Ebisu and finally got Konohamaru inside the building and bit him farewell. He was about to make his way to leave with the child, until he heard the private instructor say something that set him off.

"The times are changing now, my people! There are those out there who are being seduced by the beast! Iruka Umino has succumbed to his tricks and treats the beast as if he were a real child! The shinobi once known as Iruka Umino has become a traitor to the village in loving this creature! He's a DEMON-LOVER!"

The boy removed his goggles and turned to Ebisu, anger slowly boiling in his stomach as he started to slander his favorite homeroom teacher without end. He growled at Ebisu with hate and he killed the voice that told him to turn the other cheek and sauntered over to the stand. Naruto stepped up on the stage, silencing the crowd, as he stood right behind Ebisu with a scowl on his face.

From on top of the building, Iruka and the Hokage were surprised and concerned when the child approached the stage. When the sound of the crowds slowly died in fear, Ebisu realized something was amiss and he sensed the presence of someone standing right behind him. He turned around and almost yelped when he saw Naruto looking up at him, his scar showed off as a wind picked up around them, making him all the more intimidating.

"What did you just say about Iruka-sensei?" he demanded coldly.

Ebisu regained his posture and struggled with his words as he tried to speak. When he failed to come up with something, Naruto stepped forward and told Ebisu off without mercy, silencing his gathered hate-crowd even further.

"Let me tell you something, you arrogant bastard. Iruka Umino happens to be the bravest and most wonderful man I have ever known in my entire life. So, I feel personally offended when you say those horrible things about him."

Up on the building, Iruka heard his favorite student defend his name and was touched and felt his insides become warm.

Ebisu protested, "How dare you call me-"

"He's not some menace or a demon-lover as you called him. He's a hero!" the boy interrupted and then yelled.

Ebisu questioned, "Hero?"

"He risked his life for me..." he said in a quieted voice, "He sacrificed his own body just to protect me… And now I'm forced to ask, when have _you_ ever done anything like that for someone else?"

The strict instructor tried to come up with an example of when he risked his own neck for someone else from the village that he cared about. But then his voice got caught in his throat when he realized that in his twenty years of service to the village; he never once put himself in danger for the sake of someone else he cared about. At seeing his expression and identifying his weakness in character, Naruto took the opportunity and struck him down where it would hurt him the most and cause him to collapse in a metaphorical sense.

"You call yourself a shinobi, when all you really are is a hypocrite and a fraud. Teaching children the wrong way to become strong and even become Hokage. There you go saying that only those people who are born from brilliance can become brilliant themselves... You're a _fake_ teacher and a pathetic excuse for a shinobi..."

The noises of the crowd died as their leader stumbled in the presence of the child they had been slandering.

"For the record, Iruka-sensei is ten-thousand times the man you'll ever hope to be... People like you and Daikoku-teme have got to realize that what you're doing is wrong... Sometimes, I really wonder who the real demon in this village is... the person who carries the burden, or the villagers who close their eyes to what they don't understand... To me, people like you are the demons... not me..."

With the crowd silenced from the child's simple, yet powerful words, the boy slowly made his way to leave.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

Naruto turned to face the man with sunglasses and saw him pointing his finger at him while he screamed, "YOU SEE! YOU SEE THIS! He has cast a powerful spell on us to make us feel like we are the wrongdoers! THIS IS PROOF THAT HE'S EVIL!"

The blonde-haired wizard growled intensely as the crowd quickly turned hostile and started yelling and throwing things at him, in support of Ebisu. On the roof of the building above, Iruka was about to jump down and save his student from harm, but then the Hokage stopped him. The injured chunin was about to tell him to let him go, but then the old man told him to look as Naruto used the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. He made fifty shadow clones appear, instantly stopping the crowd from throwing garbage and booing. The mob was instantly intimidated, as Naruto multiplied before their eyes. He looked around and just now noticed that the entire crowd comprised of men, making this next technique he was about to pull off make for a more impressive show and have a much greater body count.

Ebisu scoffed at Naruto's shadow clones and shifted his sunglasses again, "That kind of trick will only work on a fool like Mizuki! What do you think you-"

"_Harem no Jutsu!_"

Just then, clouds of white smoke consumed all of the shadow clones and once it cleared emerged the forms of fifty gorgeous and practically naked women. All of them were very blessed by nature with perfect frames and curves. All of them had different colored bras, panties, and skin-tight bikini's attached to their oily skin. All of them soon sensually danced to the crowd and to Ebisu as well. The crowd of women all moved inwardly and flashed off their milk jugs. All of the men in the crowd suddenly yelled out as their noses erupted rivers of blood and fell flat on the backs, unconscious. Ebisu froze, petrified as he had never seen a naked woman out in public before. Once the crowd was out of the way, they all turned on Ebisu and tackled him, rubbing their large breasts into his face and hugging Ebisu's torso, arms, and legs. With a mighty yell, Ebisu was suddenly thrust up high into the air, soaring all the way out of the courtyard and through the window of a civilian woman's house several blocks away, all the while, a river of blood erupted from his nose and fueled his trajectory until he crashed inside of the home of the woman he disturbed.

"_My house!_" she cried as she began to beat Ebisu with a frying pan.

Up on top of the Administration Building, Iruka had the same look on his face as the men down below and so did the old Hokage. The two of them reacted the same way as the men down below by blushing, yelling, and letting a jet of blood erupt out of their noses and fall on their backs.

The sounds that they made could not be recognized as their noses and mouths were filled with too much blood to form a complete sentence. But it would be safe to assume that neither of them approved of the use of that particular jutsu, while their stubborn maleness encouraged it with passion.

A few floors below the roof, Konohamaru was cheering and jumping up and down as he watched the whole thing and cheered for his older cousin for knocking out an entire crowd of people.

'_**I wish **_**I**_** had a harem when **_**I**_** was in purgatory...**_'

'_Either way, I sure taught blind judgment a lesson! Don't mess with the bull or you get the sexy, sexy horns!_'

'_**Don't ever say that again, for as long as you live...**_'

* * *

><p>Back on the roof of the Administration Building, the Hokage and Iruka struggled to pick themselves off the ground as they lost a significant amount of blood through their nosebleeds. Iruka felt touched that Naruto defended him so passionately in front of that crowd of people, but he was now in between giving that kid a hug or hitting him in the head for creating and unknowingly using such a lewd jutsu against him. The Hokage managed to pull himself up to see the gathered pile of men in the courtyard being punished by their wives and girlfriends for falling for such a technique while the blonde-haired culprit walked away with his head held high.<p>

He was happy that both of his grandson's understood that there were no easy ways to becoming Hokage and was pleased to see Naruto going down the right path, despite everything bad that's happened to him.

"You know... Sometimes, I think maybe diminished hope can be a good thing, if it means the eradication of jutsu like _that_..." he coughed jokingly.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Next time on the Scroll of Sealing: Sakura and Sasuke, Friends or Foes?<strong>

**Kvsyaoran: Like that's a hard question to answer.**

**Naruto: Azeroth44 would have said that.**

**Kvsyaoran: Any luck in finding that gaytard Kabuto?**

**Naruto: If they didn't find that bastard in the manga, who's to say that it would be easy for us?**

**Kvsyaoran: Because we tend to break the laws of logic, physics, and all around have the power to become gods seeing as we live in a fictional universe.**

**Naruto: Well, that's crazy! If that were so, then would the audience end our existence by clicking to another screen?**

**Kvsyaoran: Don't give them ideas!**

**Naruto: WAIT STOP! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!**

* * *

><p>Leave behind a nice review if you enjoyed!<strong> :)<strong>


	10. Team 7

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/ Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's Thoughts/other people's thoughts

'_**Blah**_': Harry talking to Naruto

* * *

><p><strong>A fair warning to all those Sasuke or Sakura lovers out there; this IS a SasukeSakura bash. It's pretty strong at first, basing the characters from canon and exaggerating them slightly. Then I will start to bash them as time goes on and throughout each book that comes out chronologically, though the bashing is going to be founded, based on character development.**

* * *

><p><strong>Now on to better manners, Enya-Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2 rumors... Is she going to provide a song for the movie, in the end credits, or throughout the movie itself? We gotta discuss this!<strong>

**(Door suddenly breaks down and in comes summoned soldier LR in second form with Kabuto's torso)**

**LR: Look 'o we found hidin' in the forest!**

**Kvsyaoran: Screw it! I'll leave the rumors to Mugglenet! Where the bloody hell did you find this guy?**

**LR: Like I said, the forest. We found him giggling over naked pictures of Orochimaru.**

**Kvsyaoran: Why am I not in the least bit surprised?**

**Naruto: Show off your powers!**

**(Kvsyaoran outstretches hand and Kabuto's body lifts above the ground)**

**LR: You have special powers now?**

**Kvsyaoran: The power from watching the trailer for a Harry Potter film is a powerful one...**

**(Starts strangling Kabuto)**

**Kvsyaoran: So... You're the one who stole Azeroth44, huh?**

**Kabuto: I won't tell you anything!**

**Kvsyaoran: Once I'm done with you, you'll be singing...**

**(We'll be back after a quick use of the Cruciatus Curse. Enjoy the show!)**

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto**

**Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros**

**Bonus Disclaimer: Deadpool is the property of Marvel comics and always will be**

* * *

><p>Chapter 10: Team 7<p>

* * *

><p>{{<em>Day by Jeremy Soule<em>}}

On Monday morning one week after Naruto was given his headband, he woke up to a bright final school day. He yawned and arched his back until it popped into all the right places. Naruto sat up in his bed and looked around his apartment. There were plants hanging from the ceiling, providing the room with a pleasing atmosphere, there was a newly posted ramen poster stuck on the wall as well as basic decorations. He still had the same old busted television set and spare cabinets, but all around the apartment still looked pretty much the same with the exception of the new paint job he gave it with magic. Naruto yawned again and looked to his beside table with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, mum..."

He had framed his mother's picture that he had gotten from Sarutobi and had it rested right there on his bedside table and protected with an Unbreakable Charm and a Sticking Charm, so that if a thief came around to steal his stuff, his mother would remain there on his table. He said a prayer to his mother before getting up and getting ready for the official final day of school. Today was the orientation, in which Naruto would be grouped with two other classmates on his team and he was hoping on being on the same team as Sakura. As the blonde genin went on about being on the same team as the pink-haired menace, Harry kept rolling his eyes and pretending to shoot himself in the head.

Once Naruto washed up, ate his breakfast, and brushed his teeth, he got dressed up in another one of his orange and blue tracksuits. He slipped on one of his spare set of goggles only to look down at his dresser and see his headband laying down there on the table. At realizing his mistake, Naruto laughed and threw his goggles into his closet and knocked the footlocker inside, which caused snarling noises to sound and the footlocker itself to start jumping and moving. Naruto gasped and cast a half-failed sealing spell with a click of his fingers and the trunk was silenced and still, though only for a short amount of time.

Naruto grabbed his headband and beaded backpack, before left his apartment and locked it up. Once he finished, he narrowly avoided getting grabbed by his landlord as he aggressively started demanding for the rent.

"_Get back here, Uzumaki! I know where you live!_ RENT!"

* * *

><p>{{<em>Platform 9 ¾ by John Williams<em>}}

Our second-favorite boy wizard made it to school early and walked through the old double doors as if it were the last time. He walked up the steps and reached his classroom just as half of his classmates were already there and waiting for Iruka to arrive with the list of newly formed genin teams. Naruto took a seat by the window in the middle row and laid his head down on top of his arms as he smiled at finally being here in this classroom, ready to start going on missions with the rest of his classmates.

Just then, he remembered what he had brought with him in his backpack and immediately got it out and ready for use.

"Naruto?" asked the familiar voice of Shikamaru as he walked up to his seat and looked bewildered, "What are you doing here? This class is not for drop-outs, this is for people who graduated."

The blonde wizard just got the object he was searching for as Shikamaru just noticed Naruto was wearing an official headband. Suddenly, a flash of light blinded Shikamaru and he started seeing spots once his vision cleared up. The photo quickly developed and showed the lazy genin looking slightly surprised when he noticed the headband on Naruto's scarred forehead. The boy removed the photo from the slot and showed it to his bewildered classmate, "This is you realizing that I graduated!"

Shikamaru took the photo and started ripping it into pieces since he was now awake from the flash, "Funny… and this is me making confetti..."

"It's just a joke, Shikamaru," he said offhandedly.

Behind the back row of seats, Hinata had just entered the classroom. She looked across the room and gasped when she saw Naruto talking to Shikamaru after the confetti incident. She spotted him trying to hold up the camera while he tried to show off his headband at the same time. She sat down in the back row and blushed at seeing her blonde-haired classmate and felt enlightened.

She thought, '_Naruto-kun, you graduated after all... I'm so glad!_'

Just then, the graduated students in the classroom heard twin sets of storming footsteps getting closer and louder with each passing second. The backdoors of the classroom slammed open and Ino and Sakura were seen trying to push each other out of the way to enter the classroom first in another one of their races for Sasuke Uchiha's heart. The two of them both barged in, falling on the ground before getting back up and claiming to have entered the classroom first.

"I win!" cried the purple-clad Ino.

Sakura yelled at her rival, "No! I WON! I got here first, Ino-Pig!"

"Yeah right, Billboard Brow!" she yelled back.

The pink-haired girl insisted, "I was ahead by over three feet!"

These races that centered around Sasuke Uchiha quickly turned into endless shouting contests that were only ended when Iruka would storm in and tell the girls to shut up. Most of the boys, who did not like Sasuke, always looked forward to the end of these seemingly endless shouting contests, as the end of these things meant sweet relief to their ears. Harry hated these things especially as he couldn't stand listening to two fangirls go nuts over some snobbish, stuck-up, pretty boy. He thought for sure that he had finally heard the last of it all the week before. But it wasn't over quite yet, as he tried to tune out their voices before he couldn't take it anymore and roared at the top of his lungs.

'_**SHUT UP ALREADY! JUST SHUT UP!**_'

Naruto grimaced at Harry's voice for a change and told him to keep it down as he blushed at Sakura. The aloof Shikamaru sat back down in his seat when he noticed his friend was staring at the pink-haired girl in the back. Naruto then grabbed his camera and took his planned pictures of the classroom and it's occupants for his memorabilia back at home, seeing as this would be the last time he would ever be back in this classroom for school. But in the middle of his photo-shoot, he attracted the unwanted attention of the boy sitting right next to him.

"Where the hell did you get a camera from? I thought you were supposed to be poor."

He turned to see Sasuke Uchiha looking at him irritably while he was busy looking straight ahead of himself and brooding like he had always been doing ever since the massacre. Today, he was wearing a blue, short-sleeved shirt with a raised collar and the Uchiha crest emblazoned on the back and white arm warmers, along with white shorts. This was the signature outfit that almost all male Uchiha clan members wore once they were genin. The young Uchiha heir looked over at Naruto and waited for the answer to his question.

To which the child replied with, "Uhh… The internet?"

"Since when do you own a computer?" he asked back smartly.

Naruto answered, "Café World. Hello?"

The Uchiha scoffed at the blonde-haired preteen and muttered something very unkind under his breath. Naruto ignored him again and went back to his camera. He took a picture of Iruka's desk at the front when the camera stopped working for him. He opened it up and realized the problem immediately, "Oh, bloody hell! I have to clean the filter out again..."

The poor child got up from his seat and left for the closest bathroom so that he could clean out his camera in peace. Sasuke kept watching the foolish dead-last leave the classroom with his camera and scoffed once again.

"What a loser..." he muttered.

Just then, Sakura jumped down into Naruto's previous seat and looked at Sasuke with wide eyes filled to the brim with stars and sparkles.

"SASUKE-KUN! I'll sit next to you, right here!"

The pinked-haired fangirl went nuts and hugged the popular clan heir close to her, darkening the teenager's eyes and face as he thought to himself, '_Damn that loser for leaving his seat..._'

* * *

><p>{{<em>Day Follow by Jeremy Soule<em>}}

When Naruto returned from the bathroom, he had only a few minutes to spare before Iruka would come into the classroom and lecture them for one last time. The moment everyone was dreading as they thought they were through with being given any more of Iruka's infamously boring lectures. Naruto sat down in the same row as before, this time, Sakura was in his original spot and was constantly talking Sasuke's ear off, telling him all about her hair and what perfume she was wearing. The jealous genin scowled at Sasuke for grasping all of her attention and he laid his head down on his arms again.

Harry decided to kill time by stretching out his senses and look around the classroom, remembering this place every time he listened in on Iruka's or Daikoku's old lectures throughout the years. He sighed a breath of relief, happy that he no longer had to constantly write down notes on parchment. He looked around some more and noticed some slightly familiar faces and started to reminisce.

'_**Hmm... You would think that by now we have been here so many times that he can actually know what these people are thinking...**_'

Sasuke thought, '_I'm gonna give this girl ten seconds before I stab her in the head and watch her die... Itachi, you will met the same fate as this stupid fangirl...!_'

'_Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!_' was probably all Sakura thought about.

Ino scowled at her rival and was thinking, '_Stupid Sakura... Always being such a betch!_ _I should be down there with Sasuke-kun!_ _Not HER! I actually got the back bone for him!_'

'_How troublesome that I could only think up of a catch phrase no better than 'how troublesome'... How troublesome..._' Shikamaru sighed and collapsed in his chair.

Choji munched down on some chips, '_Munch, munch, munch, munch, munch! I sure do love these things! I can't believe that's what the snack is called!_'

'_I wonder what it feels like to shoot a real gun instead of a bebe pistol…_' Kiba wondered to himself while he stroked the top of his dog's head.

Hinata blushed, '_I hope Naruto-kun and I can be on the same team one day... Maybe we can have the teams switched... Give or take a few months...! Patience is a virtue, Hinata..._'

'_One day, Shino... One day you will no longer be ignored by everyone... one day we shall rule the world with your army of insect beetles... The world shall be our oyster, Shino...! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OYSTER!_'

As the green-eyed wizard looked over the other students and tried to determine what it was that they were thinking exactly, using a subtle hint of Legilimency, he gave up and sat back down on his bed to figure a different way to kill time. He couldn't pick up a single one of their thoughts.

Not a single one.

'_**Like hell if I knew! I'm not a bloody mind reader...**_'

* * *

><p>Back at one of the offices of the Hokage, several jounin-level shinobi were stationed around the old man's desk, looking into his secret crystal ball that he used to oversee the village and it's inhabitants. There were all sorts of strange and extraordinary people comprising this crowd; tall, muscular men with bears, beautiful women with dazzling red eyes, and even masked men with silvery hair and headbands covering their eyes. Disregarding their differences in appearance, they all shared an observant expression as they looked down at their soon-to-be students for who knows how long.<p>

Hiruzen Sarutobi focused the power of the crystal to look at Sasuke Uchiha and there he presented him to the other jounin.

"That's him? The most promising student this year, Sasuke Uchiha?" asked the man with a beard.

The woman with red eyes answered, "He's the last remaining member of the Uchiha clan... The people call him the avenger..."

"He's also the one with the most girls, apparently..." the man with the beard commented.

The old Hokage then focused his crystal on Naruto who was just arriving from the bathroom to clean his camera. The man in the mask with the headband over his left eye took a look at this boy in particular and fixed his gaze upon him. He couldn't explain it in words but he could see something about the child that no one else in the room could see. The other jounin in the room mostly rolled their eyes as most of them recognized him as the troublemaker responsible for all the troublesome pranks that were committed for the past few years throughout town.

"There he is, folks... my first grandson... Naruto Uzumaki..."

The man with the beard commented with a slight chuckle in his voice, "He looks like a complete dork..."

Sarutobi scowled at the bearded man, because he was actually one of his sons.

"I-in a good way, I mean..."

The man with silver hair did not avert his gaze from the blonde-haired child until the Hokage moved on to another student in the classroom that needed to be observed. For a second, the silver-haired man thought he saw someone he knew within that boy and didn't want to look away. He looked just like a man that he once knew a long time ago and acted like someone that was important to him.

With this child's odd behavior and looks, he couldn't help but wonder to himself, '_Naruto Uzumaki, huh?_'

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, Iruka finally returned to his classroom and got ready to address his students for the final time. Once he was ready, he stood before the class, standing tall and had his hands behind the small of his back. Naruto looked up to him attentively and Iruka gave him a quick smile before he began this brief lecture. Naruto smiled at him as he noticed as the last of the bandages from the previous week in the forest were now gone. He then tucked his camera away in his beaded backpack, seeing as he was done with adding new pictures to place in his red leather photo album.<p>

Iruka announced in a proud voice, "As of today, you are all shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato. Congratulations! To get here, you've all faced difficult trials and hardships... But that's nothing compared to the future, what comes next will be far more difficult... Now you are only genin, the first officially ranked shinobi in the village. All of the genin will be grouped up into different teams of three students, with the exception of a possible four-man squad if the numbers are even. Either way, each team will be lead by a jounin teacher, one of the elite shinobi of the village. They will be in charge of taking care of you, training you, and basically taking my place around the clock. Heh!"

The students in the room looked surprised and anxious, as that would mean some of them would be separated from their friends and rivals. Sakura, in particular, looked alarmed, as did Ino sitting right behind her. But then the blonde girl leaned forward and whispered to her competition, so as to intimidate her and make her believe that she might never be on the same team as the boy she had been blatantly crushing on for years.

"Someone's gonna be on Sasuke-kun's team," Ino taunted, "I wonder who it will be?"

The pink-haired girl looked behind her and stammered, "I-I have no idea..."

Sakura then snarled at her rival and let her inner-persona roar inside her head, '**I'm gonna be with Sasuke-kun, dammit! STAY AWAY FROM HIM, INO-PIG!**'

Next to her, Naruto was nervous and wondered whom he would have to be forced to cooperate with for the rest of his time on his team. Since his grades were the lowest out of all the graduating students, the teams had to be balanced out according to their individual skills. Which would mean Naruto would have to be paired up with two people who had impressively high scores on their final grades. To his everlasting relief, he would most likely not be paired up with Kiba, but that would also mean that he would not be with Choji or Shikamaru as their grades were just as low as his were.

Naruto begged out loud, "Please don't let me be with Sasuke-teme..."

Just then, Sakura's ears perked and she only just now realized that Naruto was in the classroom and sitting right next to her. She looked at the blonde-haired pariah as if he were the plague and protested at once.

"Iruka-sensei! WHY IS _HE_ HERE? Naruto-baka failed the graduation exam! _Kick him out!_" she demanded rudely.

'_**So kind of her to point that out...**_'

The teacher coughed and scowled at Sakura for her poor manners and treatment of Naruto and explained to her, but not before giving our favorite blonde shinobi a special look.

"Naruto is here because I gave him _permission_ to graduate from the Academy… Just last week on the night of graduation, you're now ex-principal Mizuki tried to steal a highly important scroll from the Hokage. A document that could have put this village in great danger with the jutsu it contained. I tried to track him down and stop him, but wouldn't you know it, Naruto was training nearby the fight that ensued and he signal-handedly took Mizuki down while I was injured badly."

The entire classroom gasped and Naruto could feel the eyes of everyone in the room fall down upon him in disbelief. He could only look up as his face filled slightly with color and he smiled at his sensei in thanks.

"Naruto saved my life and saved the village from destruction, earning him his honorary headband." he smiled as he ended the tale.

The class was silent as they stared at Naruto and looked back to their teacher, trying to see if either one of them was telling the truth or to see if it was false by waiting for Naruto to start gloating about it. Everyone in the classroom was surprised when the blonde-haired class-clown sat there without a word. It was the sweet positive attention that left him speechless. He had never been looked at in such a positive light in the classroom before. He could feel all of it as his male classmates looked at him in amazement, disbelief, and even jealousy. Naruto couldn't believe that this was happening, as everyday of his time here at public school never turned out this way. He relished in the odd silence, but it was all put to a premature end when a certain pink-haired girl spoke up.

"Yeah right!" she yelled obnoxiously, "Sasuke-kun would have done it a million times cooler! Naruto is just a loser; he probably just stole that headband! Give it back, Naruto! Right now! Give it here!"

'_**No one asked for your opinion, you stupid bitch!**_'

Before Sakura would have started ranting and tried to take her classmate's headband, Iruka coughed so as to give Sakura a nice way of telling her to stop. But when she almost ripped Naruto's headband clean off of his forehead, the tan-skinned chunin slammed his fist into his desk, creating a deafening boom that frightened her and the rest of his students.

"_Sakura Haruno, you sit down!_" he thundered.

The obnoxious girl sat back in her seat before she let go of Naruto's headband and let her teacher go on with his original speech.

"Anyway, we want each squad to have an even balance of strengths and abilities based on your performance here at the Academy. So that's how we set them up."

Iruka lifted up his list of teams, teachers, and numbers before he announced them to the class, one at a time.

"Team 1 will comprise of..."

* * *

><p>{{<em>Happy Hogwarts by Jeremy Soule<em>}}

"Now, Team 7, whose squad leader will be Kakashi Hatake; will comprise of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno..."

The golden-haired boy sprang up with joy before sitting himself back down as both Sakura and Harry hit their heads against something hard in an attempt to cause brain damage. The older wizard closed the connection to his little brother so that he could start swearing at the top of his voice; meanwhile, Sakura sank her head against her desk and despaired at having to be on the same team as the class clown. Sakura just wanted to kill herself now that she had to put up with the class weirdo.

Iruka continued with the final team member and announced, "...And Sasuke Uchiha."

Harry stopped despairing and looked a little more serious as Naruto toned down his happiness levels down to irritability.

He still wanted to help out Sasuke through his loneliness and he treated him just the same as his older brother told him to, but Naruto hated Sasuke even more than he ever did before. With the massacre of his clan, the Uchiha heir didn't just turn into a hardened avenger; he turned into a jerk that was used to getting everything that he wanted. His behavior stemmed from the village taking pity upon him and started to spoil him with royal treatments and continuously inflated his already enlarged ego with reminding him how important his clan was and that he was the best of them all. With all that special treatment, Sasuke became completely selfish and a snobbish spoiled brat that was used to being the best there was and that no one could live up to his standards or become his equal.

Naruto still tried to help him through the pain he could sense that he was going through, but Sasuke was just too much for him to handle as far as his negative personality went. His attitude and inability to be kind to other people made Sasuke an unbearable person to interact with. To the older wizard in the mindscape, he likened Sasuke with a bad mixture between his Hogwarts rival Draco Malfoy and Tom Riddle.

In the back row, Hinata despaired, only she was very subtle about it, '_I... I won't be with Naruto-kun, then..._'

Iruka then listed, "Next! Team 8 will comprise of Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. Your squad leader will be Kurenai Yuhi."

Sakura turned around toward Ino and gloated now that she was on the same team as Sasuke. At this, the platinum-blonde girl scowled at her rival and demanded for an explanation. Iruka groaned silently before he went on about with the next team, and once he was finished, he announced, "And the final one, Team 10! Who will be led by Asuma Sarutobi will comprise of Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi."

Ino cried in despair as Shikamaru laughed at the girl's reaction and Choji couldn't care less, as he was too busy eating another bag of barbecue-flavor potato chips.

"And that's everyone! After lunch, we'll have you meet back here to be picked up by your jounin teachers. Until then, class dismissed!"

* * *

><p>Naruto rushed outside with his bagged lunch in hand and searched the grounds for Sakura. When he spotted her at the entrance to the park, he walked up to her and grasped her attention for a few seconds, "Hey, Sakura-chan!"<p>

The pink-haired girl turned around and scowled at him as if he had done something awful to her.

"I was thinking that, since we're on the same team and everything, that we can have lunch together and get to know each other better. How about it? I know this great place in the park there's stone bench right under the shade. It's brilliant. I bet you'd really like it...!"

"Naruto, you're so annoying! Get away from me!" she said back in a harsh tone.

Sakura turned toward the park and called out for the handsome rookie of the year, wherever he was, "Sasuke-kun! How about we have lunch together? Sasuke-kun! There's great place in the park with a stone bench under the shade!"

Harry frowned at the pink-haired menace for taking his little brother's idea and hurting his feelings for umpteenth time. The boy decided to head over to an isolated building rooftop to eat his lunch and maybe read from his self-made magical handbook while enjoying a nice breeze to get his mind off of girls. But when he reached one of the buildings close to the Academy, someone he wasn't expecting to see intercepted him. It was Sasuke, and he didn't look happy, as always.

"Hey, dobe. I have a bone to pick with you." he called out harshly.

Naruto raised one of his eyebrows, looked behind himself to check if he was talking to someone behind him and asked, "Who? Me?"

"Yeah," he answered and asked, "That story the teacher said about you defeating Mizuki. Is that true?"

He nodded.

"Good. Then I want to fight you. Right now." he stated simply, "If you can take down a chunin-level shinobi by yourself, then taking you down might be some good practice for me."

Naruto raised both his brows and answered, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a fight, "Uhh, I don't really feel like it. You see, I was gonna eat my lunch and get over my broken heart."

"Just shut up and fight me, you loser!" the black-haired teen responded.

The younger blonde student gave him a 'hold that thought for just one second' look before he turned and walked down the hall and bolt around the corner. Sasuke thought he just needed some space for the fight he was anticipating before he realized Naruto was just walking away and leaving him to look foolish.

"Hey! Get back here, you idiot!" he shouted.

Sasuke ran down the hallway and was about to turn the corner when Naruto clicked his fingers and muttered, "_Stupefy!_"

A flash of light blinded Sasuke before he suddenly fell to the ground and was rendered unconscious. Naruto looked around and breathed when he saw no one had seen him using his magic to stun the rookie of the year. Naruto quickly grabbed Sasuke by his feet and dragged him into a broom closet next to the line of bathroom stalls. He then closed the door behind him and his older brother's voice rang out to him as he secured Sasuke against the shelves.

'_**Well, that was a rash decision, wasn't it, Little one.**_'

'_What else was I supposed to do? ! He was freaking me out!_'

He looked down at Sasuke's unconscious form; regretting his decision to use magic to subdue him. Naruto couldn't help it since he just did what instinct told him to and made the mistake to listen to it. He tried to see a way around this mistake and couldn't come up with a decision until he suddenly got a brain wave. He looked down at Sasuke's body with a smiled and clicked his fingers again, conjuring ropes and having them wrap around Sasuke to bind him. He clicked his fingers again and two pieces of white sellotape came out of his hand and clasped against Sasuke's mouth, forcing him to breathe through his nose.

'_**What are you doing?**_'

"I've got an idea... Sakura-chan will listen to anything that Sasuke Uchiha tells her, right? It's about time I got some insight on her point of view! Once I know what she thinks of me, I can fix things between us and make the team work better together!"

{{_Harry as Goyle by Jeremy Soule_}}

He then put his hands together and a white of smoke consumed him. Once it cleared up, Naruto took on the perfect form of Sasuke, all the way down to his hair and clothes. Naruto whipped Sasuke's framing bangs out of his face constantly as he focused a little bit of magic into the jutsu to enhance the effects of the hair and clothes, as well as leave the magic to fuel the jutsu so he wouldn't have to concentrate all the time. Naruto tried to get used to Sasuke's height and tried out his new body before he left the broom closet. When he turned around and brushed off some dirt from his pants, he jumped when someone came out from around the corner to greet him.

"Sasuke-kun~!"

Ino had come out of nowhere and started panicking at the black-haired prince, "I saw you try to pick out a fight with that idiot Naruto! But you chased him off, right? Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, that moron?"

"Uhhh..." Naruto hesitated, remembering to act like Sasuke and be a prick, "Yeah. Dobe. Pissed off. Later. I've got to go. Bye."

With that said, the disguised genin walked away as elegantly as he could, leaving Ino thoroughly confused by his statements, but fully convinced that she had briefly spoken with the real Sasuke Uchiha. Seconds later, Shikamaru and Choji flanked her with numerous rice balls in their arms and dragged their new teammate away from the broom closet to have lunch and get used to each other.

* * *

><p>Once Ino was out of the picture, Naruto made his way over to the park where he guessed Sakura might be eating lunch, as he suggested it earlier. He had some trouble walking in a straight line, as Sasuke was several inches taller than he was and the change in height and weight was something to get used to. But he had to compensate for more realistic appearance with extra weight and height. Naruto faltered in his steps once or twice until he got the hang of it. Once he made his way into the park, he was, once again, intercepted by a group of Sasuke's insane fangirls from class.<p>

"Sasuke-kun~!" they all squealed constantly at different times.

Naruto scowled angrily at how much attention the spoiled prince got, which caused the girls to become confused and intimidated. He soon softened his expression before he turned to face the girls with his chin up. He had to look and act the part as a pompous heir if he wanted to get these intolerable girls out of his path. Naruto had a job that needed to be done.

"Do you want us to get you anything for lunch, Sasuke-kun?" one of them asked.

Another girl offered, "Anything at all? I'll buy you whatever you want!"

The disguised genin started to get annoyed by all these girls since they were forcing him to waste precious chakra and magic to hold this transformation. He thought quickly and told them to get him the first thing that popped into his head that would keep them out of the picture for the ample amount of time he needed to have with Sakura.

"How about you girls go get me… a milkshake!" he announced.

The girls looked confused by his request, "But we thought you hated sweet things?"

"Well, you were wrong, stupid girls." he said with a disrespectful tone, "Go to the other side of town and get me one. Those are the only milkshakes that are good in this village."

One of the girls complained, "Are you sure? Because that's all the way on the other side of town..."

"Let's just get it for him!" one of the other hissed.

The other hissed, "What flavor does he like?"

"Who cares? Let's just get him all of them!" the older one hissed back

Naruto crossed his arms and said to add to Sasuke's demanding and pompous nature, "Hurry up now! I don't like to be kept waiting!"

Once all of the girls from his class were scared off, the black-haired genin moved through the trees of the park in search for Sakura. He spotted her at one of the stone benches and hid behind a tree as he tried to read Sakura's facial expressions. He tried to read her emotions and know what to say to her, to get to the bottom of everything. Naruto tried to read her as he made his way to lean against the tree across from the bench. Sakura seemed to be thinking to herself until she spotted him, her eyes soon became unfocused as she plunged herself into a fantasy-mode, as the wizard in the mindscape called the facial state. Naruto determined what he should say to her and finally plucked up the courage and walked up to her, making sure to stay in character.

"Sakura..." he started without the honorific, as Sasuke refused to use them when he talked to people, "You have such a large forehead... it makes me want to kiss it..."

The pink haired girl froze to the spot and blushed as Naruto could hear Harry making intolerable gagging noises.

The disguised genin then said, "Just kidding. That's the kind of dumb thing that Naruto or someone would say."

Sakura sunk her head as she thought one of her romantic fantasies was coming true and she felt depressed. Naruto took a seat next to her and looked over to her, while still keeping in character.

"Speaking of the dobe; what do you actually think of him? As a person, what do you think of him?"

She lowered her gaze away from him and thought over how she felt about Naruto Uzumaki and told him to the finest detail of what she thought about the classmate she had known for several years, "He knows nothing about my feelings and always tries to get in the way... He enjoys interfering and making me feel bad... Naruto doesn't understand a single thing about me or the pain I feel... He's just annoying..."

Naruto twitched at hearing this and felt a distracting churn in his stomach because of it.

"All I really want... is for you to accept me, Sasuke-kun, that's all... I would do... anything just to get close to you... I'm-desperate... "

Sakura leaned in towards Naruto, pursed her lips, closed her eyes as she blushed heavily and made a soft, moaning noise to make Sasuke want to lean in and kiss her, only it worked better on her blonde-haired teammate. Just getting this close to the girl Naruto was still crushing on caused the churn from earlier to only worsen to the point where his scar resurfaced and his hair turned back into blonde and began to recede back into his scalp to it's original length.

Sakura's eye caught the sudden change in bright color and opened her eyes to stop when she saw Naruto started leaning forward as well. She fully stopped once the boy's face surfaced and her eyebrows deepened more than they ever did before.

Naruto stopped as well, and asked Sakura in his normal voice, "Something wrong?"

"YOU!" she hissed in a low, inhuman voice as she pointed at him.

His expression froze as he quickly reached for his face and touched his cheek, chin, eyes, and hair. Feeling them all being his own again, Naruto started sweating and paled as he tried to explain himself as embarrassed and exposed as he felt at the moment, "Long story..."

"NARUTO-BAKA!" she roared before Naruto remembered seeing her fist hit his face and then everything went black.

* * *

><p>Back at the broom closet, Sasuke came to and slowly woke up to find he was gagged and tied up. The Uchiha quickly reached his tied up hands together and performed a technique that enabled him to escape. The ropes fell from his body and he was free to rip the strange tape place over his mouth, which disintegrated into dust upon being removed. He stood up and growled in anger as he was now determined to hunt down Naruto and give him a piece of his mind.<p>

"That stupid dobe... He knocked me out and thought he could get away with it? I'll show him!"

He left the broom closet and headed back towards the Academy, hoping Naruto was inside and was determined to give him a taste of his outrage. He started walking through the park, his usual hoard of fangirls strangely not appearing and offering to buy him lunch this time. He shrugged it off and approached a fuming Sakura who was just getting up from the stone bench. Once she noticed him, Sakura beamed, as this time she was sure that this was the real Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun! There you are, you bad boy!" she squealed, "I wanted to ask you...! I was thinking that, since we're on the same team and everything, that we can have lunch together and get to know each other better... How about it?"

Sasuke didn't stop walking until he realized that he might need her to locate his target, "Where is Naruto? I've got something to say to him."

"Forget about him, Sasuke-kun." she scoffed, "That's what's gonna get in the way of our team once we start out on our missions... You know why he's so annoying? It's because he was raised all wrong! He doesn't have a mom or dad to teach him right from wrong! He just does whatever pops in his head, that orphaned idiot! I'm almost jealous of the stuff he can get away with all the time!"

Sasuke stopped and looked at Sakura sharply, with a stink-eye of hatred.

"That's why someone like you should have been the one to save the village from Mizuki-sensei, not Naruto! He's not some hero or savior! He's selfish and a brat! He's just a stupid orphan! Isn't that right, Sasuke-kun?"

The brooding preteen was silent as he took in what Sakura told him so obnoxiously, he muttered, "Being alone... You have no idea, you stupid..."

"Sasuke-kun... are you okay? Why won't you talk to m-" she wanted to know what it was that her beloved was saying but then he looked at her angrily, causing her to freeze where she stood.

"You're so annoying! Get away from me!" he boomed coldly.

Sakura gasped in an exaggerated voice and watched as Sasuke walked away from her without looking back. A wind came breezing in and swept leaves everywhere as Sakura felt cold and shaken by Sasuke's choice of words. Being so shaken by what he said, she stayed where she stood until recess was over and the bell tone woke her up.

* * *

><p>On the floor of one of the bathroom stalls near where he stunned and hid Sasuke's unconscious body, Naruto slowly woke up with a large swell on his head, the exact size of a tennis ball, and a black eye that was literally black. Naruto's healing factor kicked in regardless but the black eye he now had now was taking longer to heal, since it was so bad. He picked himself up from the bathroom floor and made his way to the sink and mirror. He examined the damage and tried to figure out what he was doing and whom he was talking to, but he came out blank.<p>

Naruto slowly made his way out of the bathroom as he guessed lunch-recess would be over in a few minutes. When he left the bathroom, he was surprised to see Sasuke standing right in front of him with his hands out of his pockets for a change and balled into fists. He walked up to Naruto and gave him a foul look, worse than the look he would normally give him.

"That was a real cheap shot you took, dobe. Now you're going to pay!" he said.

"What?"

And just like with Sakura; the last thing he could remember was a pale-white fist an inch away from his face and then total darkness until he would wake up some few minutes later, more with even fewer memories than before, as he was unable to remember anything that happened after he was about to ask Sakura Haruno to lunch.

* * *

><p>At Naruto's apartment building, Sarutobi opened the door to his apartment and entered with a tall and lean young man wearing the standard Konoha shinobi outfit along with iron plated gloves. They entered Naruto's home and examined it at a distance, careful not to disturb anything, or let the owner know that someone had barged in without his permission. The two of them started out with his bedroom and took note of how well he kept it as well as the few plants and pictures he had laying about.<p>

The jounin accompanying the Hokage failed to notice the framed pictures and looked toward Naruto's desk where he spotted a small assembly of books stacked in piles. At first he imagined that he was keeping them out for studying ninjutsu but was dismayed when he recognized them as fantasy books about dragonriders, Olympic gods, magical rings, and swords.

They walked into the kitchen and noticed how messy it looked as Naruto had left numerous empty ramen cups on the table and in the sink. Naruto even left his milk carton out on the table to spoil in the sunlight beaming in through the windows.

"So this is where Naruto lives?" asked the tall man, looking around.

Sarutobi answered, "Yes. He's lived here ever since he was a toddler."

"Lovely..." he commented, taking note on how disorganized it looked.

The young man walked around the kitchen and noticed the unwashed dishes, atmospheric plants, left-out food and drink from countless meals. He cringed at how cluttered it was and took a mental note to tell this kid to clean up after himself if he managed to pass the upcoming test. Sarutobi told him mellifluously as he came back to the table, "He will be on your team as well as Sakura, the daughter of the Haruno librarians..."

The jounin with Sarutobi looked over at the carton of milk that Naruto had accidentally left behind and picked it up to examine the expiration date.

"And Sasuke of the Uchiha clan... Good luck with them all... You're going to need it... Here is a copy of Naruto's house keys in case of emergencies..."

The old Hokage held them out for the jounin, but he was too busy being eccentrically amused by the funny cartoon picture of the cow written on the milk carton he picked up. He shook it back and forth and ignored the sound of thick, swishing white liquid, and he started giggled in amusement like a small child.

"Heheheh! Moo~!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed for his attention, "Kakashi, the keys. Please take them. Kakashi?"

"Dance, cow! Dance!" he laughed.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>(And we're back!)<strong>

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!**

**LR: Can I have a go?**

**Kvsyaoran: Nah, I think you'll just kill 'im... We need us some answers... I don't even think that was even a real sentence...**

**LR: Right. Now where is he? Where is Azeroth44?**

**Kabuto: I don't know...**

**Kvsyaoran: That's it. Show it to him another movie.**

**LR: Which one? Dragonball Evolution or Sexy In the City 2?**

**Kvsyaoran: He would **_**like**_** watching Sex in the City. Show him the Dragonball movie.**

**Naruto: Should I prepare the torture chamber with surround-sound?**

**Kvsyaoran: Indeed!**

**Deadpool: Why don't I get to torture everybody?**

**Kvsyaoran: Not every situation requires your assistance, Deadpool...**

**Deadpool: But I'm a mercenary!**

**Kvsyaoran: We're busy right now, Deadpool! Go open up a comedy club or something!**

**Deadpool: (Excited) Okay!**

**Kvsyaoran: With him out of the way, WHERE IS AZEROTH44?**

**Kabuto: I'll never tell you anything!**

**Kvsyaoran: ROLL THE FILM!**

**Kabuto: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**Meanwhile at the newly built Deadpool Comedy Club...**

**Deadpool: So then I said, It's just my pinky! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Eh? EH?**

**Audience: (Silence)**

**Deadpool: You get it?**

**Random guy: You SUCK!**

**(Deadpool whips out giant pistol and blast's random guy's head off)**

* * *

><p>Review if you enjoyed this little adventure! More to come later!<strong> :)<strong>


	11. Kakashi Hatake

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/ Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's Thoughts/other people's thoughts

'_**Blah**_': Harry talking to Naruto

* * *

><p><strong>Warning: short chapter.<strong>

**I'd like to announce that the search of Azeroth44 will have to be skipped this chapter, due to him going on a short vacation to Texas. He requested for me to hold back on the introductions and endings until he can get his hands on a computer again and can help me write the mini-scripts. Hopefully he'll be back soon and myself, Naruto, LR, Deadpool, and maybe Kabuto will return for the introductions.**

**It was my obligation to hold it off and be fair with this, as he just loves to help write for endings and introductions.**

**Wherever you are Azeroth44, we hope that you will return soon!**

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto**

**Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11: Kakashi Hatake<p>

* * *

><p>{{<em>Fred and George Theme by Jeremy Soule<em>}}

Two hours.

Naruto and his teammates had to wait two hours after Iruka had to leave and their jounin sensei still hadn't shown up. For a teacher to be this late for his students is pretty much an insult to the students as it was their choice to want to be taught and it's the teachers obligation to arrive on time. It's understandable for a teacher to be a few minutes late, but these kids had to wait three hours after lunch was over. Within the first hour, the other teams teachers had arrived and picked up their students while Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stayed glued to their seats, waiting for more two hours for their sensei to arrive.

Sasuke was up in one of the higher seats close to the back of the classroom, where he brooded darkly as he waited silently and glared at all of the milkshakes that those brainless fangirls claimed that he asked from them. Sitting on top of the front row of desks, Sakura kept switching seats, trying to balance criticizing their soon-to-be teacher and trying to figure out how she can patch things up with the handsome boy sitting in the back row. Naruto on the other hand, was looking under his old desk and fiddling around with some of the wire and prankster tools that he had left behind. He got bored and grew tired of waiting for their teacher to show up, but it was Harry of all people who said that he should do something about it.

'_**I have an idea! Grab a bucket, some wire, and all of those milkshakes on the table! We're gonna have some fun! This is going to be fantastic!**_'

Naruto listened to what Harry had in mind and then smirked as he stood up and got right to work. He grabbed a bucket from the utilities closet and the rest of the wire he had left in his desk. He moved around the classroom quickly and grabbed all of the instruments Harry had asked for and got started on construction at the door of the classroom.

Sakura looked irritated at her classmate and growled, "Sit back down, Naruto-baka!"

The blonde genin ignored her and made his way to the piles of milkshakes left on top of the desk in front of Sasuke. He smirked when he saw them, as he remembered when those fangirls arrived too late, and brought Sasuke an entire gathering of milkshakes, since they didn't know what flavor he wanted. Sasuke refused to accept them and left them all there on his previous desk to go bad.

Naruto walked over to the desk and pointed to them, asking, "Teme! Can I have these?"

"Are any of those tomato-flavored?" he asked in a half-curious voice.

The blonde looked inside each of the cups and only found every single flavor in the book except for the one Sasuke asked for, "No."

"Then I don't care, you can do what you want," the Uchiha answered.

Naruto smiled and grabbed all of the milkshakes he had those fangirls get for him and poured them all into the bucket. Sakura stared at her new teammate but stayed put and didn't move a finger to stop him. She watched as he tied the wire around the handle of the bucket and placed a device above the door that would allow him to control the wire to drop the bucket above the door. Naruto lifted the bucket with the wire above the door, stood up on a stool to place another device to keep the bucket steady above the door.

Sakura protested, "No you don't, Naruto! You almost screwed up on the first day with a new teacher! You're not going to screw up this one!"

"Our teacher is a jounin-level shinobi." Sasuke stated, "He's not going to fall for something so obvious, dobe."

Naruto ignored his teammates protests against his actions and he smiled as he heard his older brother snickering from his room in the mindscape. He laughed and bounced up and down on his bed in anticipation of what was going to happen to the poor and unsuspecting jounin teacher.

"Sasuke-kun is right, Naruto! You're so clueless, idiot!" the pink-haired banshee went on to rant, '**CHA! Stuff like this is the BEST!**'

Sakura's rant was tuned out and Naruto grabbed his camera when a gloved hand reached out and grabbed the handle. The door started to open slowly and poked in a silver-haired head that became buried with a bucket full of milk and ice cream. The jounin's senses had alerted him too late as the bucket hit him hard enough to make him hit the ground, as he was leaning forward lazily and busily reading a small orange book. As the bucket fell to the ground with a loud bang, the jounin looked up with milkshake in his hair and on his shoulders as he heard a click and saw the flash of a camera go off.

He blinked and saw an uproarious blonde child on the floor in front of him, rolling from side to side in laughter with that camera still in his hands. Sakura was over by the desks and constantly apologizing to their teacher, claiming that she tried to stop him but he overpowered her. The jounin ignored the irritating pink-haired girl and looked over to the blonde-haired child with disbelief. What just happened a few moments ago should have been impossible, but then again, this was the same child that took down Mizuki in a fight. He had every right to be furious at Naruto for what he had done with the milkshakes, but he was just too impressed to be mad at him.

So he stood up and assumed a cool, and laid back position, as he looked over at all his new students with a generally tired expression.

"Hmm… How can I put this?" he asked in a cool and relaxed voice, "My first impression of this group... I think you're a bunch of idiots."

Sakura and Sasuke both looked depressed while Naruto giggled and he heard his companion howling in the mindscape. But eventually he and the rest of his teammates shut up and they listened to their jounin teacher give them their first order from him. The older man poked at his messed up hair and recognized the material do be a dairy product and that he had to get it out quickly before it dried.

"Meet me on the part of the Academy roof that hovers over the park in ten minutes."

The jounin teacher then vanished, quick to get back home and change into a clean uniform and wash out all of the mess in his hair, as if he were allergic.

* * *

><p>{{<em>Story Book by Jeremy Soule<em>}}

'Y_ou think we might have gone a bit too far, Nii-san?_' he asked when he sat down at one of the steps on the balcony over the Academy Park.

'_**Nah. He had it coming... He had you kids waiting for way too long, he was asking for it...**_'

A few seconds later, Sasuke took a seat next to Naruto, and Sakura took a seat next to Sasuke, their jounin teacher arrived on time and slothfully sat on top of the railing of the balcony, all bright, shining, and new again. The teacher faced his students and observed them as he crossed his arms and maintained that same aloof and relaxed manner. Each of the students also took in the appearance of their sensei now that he was clean. He looked ordinary while also seemed very unusual. He was a tall, fit ninja, and was primarily characterized by his tall and spiky silver hair, his headband covering his left eye, and had his face hidden under a dark-cloth mask. Naruto assumed that he had his headband covering his left eye, because he probably lost it in battle, and couldn't deny that it made him look cool.

The jounin said finally, "Let's start things off by introducing each other, one at a time."

"Introduce each other?" Sakura repeated, "What are we supposed to say?"

The jounin shrugged and suggested tiredly, "You know, things you like, hate, dreams for the future. Do you have any hobbies? Things like that..."

"Well, could you start it out, sensei? Can you show us how it's done?" asked Naruto.

The jounin pointed to himself, "Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. So things that I like and things that I hate?"

The older man paused for a moment and looked up in thought before he answered his students, "Hmmm... I don't really feel like telling you that... My dreams for the future? To be honest, I haven't really thought about it... As for my hobbies? I actually have a lot of hobbies... But I don't really feel like telling you all of them... but I do like to read books."

"PFT!" Sakura scowled to her teammates, "He tells us to introduce ourselves and the only thing we find out about him is his name and that he reads..."

'_**Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious.**_'

Kakashi pointed to Naruto, "Ok... You on the right. The blonde one. Tell us more about yourself."

The golden-haired boy looked eager to introduce himself but he thought carefully as to how much he should reveal, since he wasn't exactly making a new start in a new town. If he were to suddenly introduce himself as an entirely different person it would certainly strike Sasuke and Sasuke off a strange. Naruto decided that he would keep up the charade for a little bit longer but would slowly start to show his true colors, as he and his team grew more acquainted. In time, Naruto would eventually stop acting and finally start being himself.

'_I really hate acting like an idiot, Nii-san._'

'_**I know, kiddo. But you can start to drop the act during missions and gradually enough that they won't notice until after the fact. Just be very careful.**_'

'_Oh, c'mon! It's not like someone will find out I'm a wizard with a few honest facts._'

'_**Ugh... Fine. You can show a little bit of your true colors now. Just to show that you're interesting. But don't go too far with it.**_'

He cleared his throat and adjusted his headband, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like to eat ramen of all varieties and flavors and I especially love the ramen Iruka-sensei gets me at Ichiraku Ramen. I also love to hang out with Iruka-sensei, since he's such a great guy when he's not being a teacher! I hate it when people blatantly insult me for making a few mistakes and I don't enjoy being underestimated. I also hate the three-minute wait to cook ramen, as it seems like seconds are turned to hours. My hobbies include reading comic books and fantasies, watering plants, pulling pranks for harmless fun, trying out different ramen from different stores, villages, and even countries! My ultimate dream is to become the next Hokage! So then the whole village would have to stop disrespecting and treating me like I'm somebody important! Dattebayo!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, '_Well, he's more interesting than I thought he would be..._'

"Alright... Next! The girl over there on the left!"

Sakura smiled and blushed as she closed her eyes and started acting strangely, "I'm Sakura Haruno! My parents are the town librarians, so I volunteer there often! It also explains my impressive intellect and why my grades are the highest out of all the graduating kunoichi this year! CHA! What I like... uhh... I mean, the person I like is..." she paused and looked over at Sasuke, who remained stoic, "My hobby is..." she paused again and covered her hands over her mouth to try to stop from blurting out the fact that she stalked Sasuke and she blushed even deeper, "My dream for the future is..." she squealed and her face turned as pink as her hair while she closed her eyes and fantasized about marrying the black-haired stick figure sitting next to her.

Harry mocked her in a chipmunk voice, '_**Oh, look at me! I'm a pretty, little fangirl! I like boys and pink things more than I like life itself! I never wanna grow up! I wanna love Sasuke-kun, get married, and have lots of vampire babies! GROW UP, WILL YA?!**_'

"So... What do you _hate_, Sakura?" Kakashi asked uninterestedly.

The girl of the group scowled at her sensei and answered hotly at being reminded of the incident in the last chapter, "_Naruto!_"

The underage wizard felt like his head had suddenly swollen a thousand times it's size and fell through the ground and into the center of the earth to fry up as he cried fake-tears and remained silent as a mouse. With that said, the pink-haired menace went into some detail of her hobbies, though they didn't stray far from anything that involved Sasuke, boys, or teen-related topics that made most of the males around her roll their eyes. Harry continuously groaned and begged for her to stop it with talking about herself and the spoiled clan heir sitting close to them.

Kakashi sweat dropped at her words and thought, '_Girls like her seem to be more interested more in boys than in ninjutsu..._'

"Last one! The brooding one." he said after he heard enough.

Sakura blushed and giggled at Sasuke while Naruto looked at him more seriously and so did Kakashi and the wizard in the mindscape.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha..." he started, "I hate a lot of things and there are very few things that I can say that I like... What I have is not a dream, that's just a stupid word to me... my _goal_ is to restore my clan, my temple of tolerance, back to it's former glory... and I took a solemn vow to kill... a certain somebody..."

Naruto stared at Sasuke and couldn't help but remember that fateful night all those years ago, when the rest of the Uchiha were wiped out in a single night. Kakashi just stared at him warily, while Sakura just stared at him and blushed, not thinking any deeper than how cool Sasuke seemed now that he had said that. In the mindscape, Harry frowned and closed his eyes in understanding what he meant in his words.

'_**It's just as I thought; the only thing that's on his mind is vengeance...We'll have to keep a closer eye on him...**_'

'_Yeah? And why's that?_'

'_**Tom. Marvolo. Riddle.**_'

'_Oh... Having a shinobi version of You-Know-Who is this last thing we need..._'

Kakashi spoke up to break the tension, "Alright! We all know now that you are each unique and you have your own ideas and personalities. We'll have our first mission tomorrow morning!"

"What kind of mission are we going to have, sensei?" the blonde-haired wonder asked enthusiastically.

The jounin answered, "We're going to have a survival exercise."

Kakashi went on to explain that the three of them had to go through a mandatory test tomorrow morning that would determine whether of not they would be allowed to keep their ranks as genin or have them sent back to the Academy. Naruto was upset to hear this news but he took it pretty well, considering the grossly high failure rate. Kakashi went on to tell them that they were forbidden to eat breakfast the next morning, otherwise, he would force them to throw it all up. He told them to show up at Training Ground Three at precisely five o'clock in the morning. Kakashi gave them each notes on the location, time, and requirements, as well as a printed version of the explanation Kakashi told a few moments ago.

Sakura looked determined, thinking this test to be a trial of her love for her crush. She tightened her fists and looked down at a particular crack in the concrete that looked like him. The Uchiha just crumbled the sheet given to him, as he wouldn't forget anything. Naruto took it and tried his best to not feel too pressured or anything as this was the true genin test. He had to pass this test, since it would be the true gateway to his road to becoming Hokage.

Tomorrow, Naruto might actually be forced to resort to showing off his true shinobi ability.

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><p>Twelve hours later, Naruto woke up at four in the morning just to get ready. He remembered his orders not to eat breakfast and went right ahead to taking a cold shower to wake up and brush his teeth. Once he was changed into a fresh tracksuit and put on his headband, he grabbed his beaded backpack and packed it with almost all of the weapons he owned. He hulled his backpack over his shoulder and groggily walked out of his apartment to make his way down to the training ground.<p>

He left the city via a public tram system and ventured through a forest path once he paid the fair and got off. He wandered aimlessly into the forest until he found a very tall fence towering over him. He walked up to the open gate and found a sign-in sheet that said;

_Training Ground # 3_

_Reserved for the day by Kakashi Hatake: Genin Evaluation Exam_

He tossed it aside and entered through the fenced door and closed it behind him. Naruto then walked all the way to the center of one of the largest training grounds Konoha had to offer. Naruto walked his way down to the center of the training field close by a river, three training posts, and a memorial that was carved out of black obsidian and shaped like a giant kunai. As Naruto approached the center of the field, Sakura and Sasuke also made their way to meet him. Sakura looked dead-tired as she refused to keep her eyes open and continuously rubbed them raw to keep awake. Meanwhile, Sasuke look unfazed at the earliness of the hour and somehow maintained his usual stoic disposition.

As they gathered at the center of the field, they hardly said a word to each other, mostly due to how tired most of them were. Naruto tried to wake up once drowsiness kicked in and Sasuke glanced over at how Naruto had recently decorated his bag subtlety with beads that blended fairly well with its green and blue material.

Even so, the Uchiha scoffed at his classmate and went back to ignoring Sakura as she tried leaning over towards him, pretending to fall asleep and do it by accident.

Several hours had passed until the sun rose high over their heads and the sky turned a brilliant shade of blue. It wasn't until the late morning arrived did Kakashi finally show up in the same cool manner

"Good morning, everyone! Sorry I'm late."

Naruto scowled at his sensei while Sakura yelled at the fact that he was late, after he made it apparently clear, "You see, there was a black cat that crossed my path on my way over here, so I had to take the long way, just to be safe!" he explained with an eye-smile once he settled.

'_**This is the great Kakashi Hatake I researched last night? So not impressive...**_'

With having fallen for a simple prank and arriving later than Daikoku used to back in his first year, Naruto was inclined to agree with him. Kakashi cleared his throat and walked over to the middle of the three tree posts across from them. He removed his backpack and reached inside to withdraw a black and gold alarm clock and placed it on top of the middle post. He then wound it up and pushed the large button on the top and it started ticking as if it were a time bomb.

"This clock is set to go off at noon..."

Kakashi then withdrew a pair of jingling silver bells from his pack that was tied together with a red sting. He held them up in his fingers and let them jingle with every movement he made. Naruto stood up from his seat on his beaded pack and looked alert and attentive, as did his two teammates.

"You're assignment is very simple; you just have to take these bells from me... If you fail to obtain one by noon, you won't get any lunch... Then, you will be tied to one of those posts and be forced to watch me eat in front of you..."

With that said, each of the three students let loose a loud, individual growl from each of their stomachs as most of them tightened their facial expression and realized why their sensei told them to skip breakfast that morning. Naruto couldn't help but feel as if Kakashi was trying to be like one of those cool mentors he would see in kung-fu movies that had a meaning in everything they did. He was tempted to start making the motions for wax on wax off, but he was too busy rubbing his empty stomach.

Sakura realized, "Wait a minute! You only have two bells and there's three of us!"

"Heh!" their teacher chuckled, "That's set up so that at least one of you will be tied to a post and ultimately be disqualified for failing to complete the assignment. That person will have to go back to the Ninja Academy."

'_**I vote Sakura.**_'

"Then again, all three of you have an equal chance of failing the test... You are now given permission to use any means of obtaining the bells, even if that means you must attack me with the intent to kill. If you don't use that drive to get your hands on these bells, chances are, you may never be able to obtain a single one of them... You are permitted to use any weapons you may have brought, including shuriken and kunai…"

Sakura protested, "But those weapons are too dangerous to use, sensei!"

'_**Does this girl even belong here? Seriously, a shinobi that says weapons are too dangerous to use for practice? What's next? A Death Eater that says killing is wrong?**_'

Naruto smiled confidently, "This might be easy, since you weren't able to dodge a bucket of milk and ice cream."

"Foolish class clowns are usually the ones that are the first to fall. All that gusto of yours isn't really intimidating considering your grades were the lowest I've ever seen in your class." the teacher stated calmly.

'_**He shouldn't have said that...**_'

The blonde-haired rookie stared at his new teacher for a moment, before he faked a smile and chuckled, "Heh! Please, sensei... That's because, until I made it this far into the shinobi world... I never really tried."

In the middle of his sentence, Naruto turned cross and withdrew a kunai from his newly purchased pouch and clenched it in his hand. He then rushed at his sensei as fast as he could, his teammates gasping at Naruto's sporadic actions. He was about to slice through the air and show his sensei why he hated being underestimated, when he was suddenly stopped. He felt his right arm having been pulled behind him and his footing stopped no more than a few inches from where he stood. Naruto looked behind him and saw that his sensei was holding his kunai right behind his neck. Naruto looked ahead of him and saw that there was nothing but uplifted dust from where Kakashi once stood.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all amazed to speechlessness as they marveled at their sensei's impossible speed.

"Now, now... It's good, very good to see that you can take this serious as I told you... but I didn't say go yet, Naruto..." he said in amused and relaxed voice.

Sakura thought, '_I didn't even see him move, he was so fast!_'

'_With that speed, it's no wonder that he's a jounin... My mistake for underestimating him..._' thought Sasuke.

Kakashi let Naruto go and let each of his students back up, as he was about to announce the start of their test, "With that fire just now, I have to say... that I'm starting to like you guys..."

As each student was now ready, Kakashi said, "Get ready... Get set... GO!"

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><p>To Be Continued...<p>

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><p><strong>Ending! Yeah, this would be the part where crazy shit happens, but as I said before, I'm going to have to skip this as AZ44 wished for me to keep posting new chapters, but to discontinue the commentary until he gets hold of a computer again.<strong>

**Naruto: We miss you so much Azeroth44.**

**Kvsyaoran: WHAT DID I JUST SAY?**

**Naruto: Right. Sorry.**

**Next chapter will be up shortly, hopefully, by that time Azeroth44 will be back.**

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><p>Review if you like! And if the comment is super nice, I'll do a backflip!<p> 


	12. The Bell Test

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/ Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's Thoughts/other people's thoughts

'_**Blah**_': Harry talking to Naruto

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><p><strong>The second to last chapter of the first book! This one, and then one more to go! And we still cannot find Azeroth44, my Beta Reader.<strong>

**Naruto: Tell us where you put him and why, Kabuto. Or we're going to show you the entire first season of the 4Kids version of One Piece. And make Deadpool do stand-up.**

**Kabuto: NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT! I'LL DO ANYTHING!**

**Kvsyaoran: Will you tell us AZ44's location?**

**Kabuto: ... Yes... I give up... yes...**

**Naruto: Where is he?**

**(KA-BOOM! The roof of the lair is removed and down descends the world's greatest dragon, a thousand times more terrifying and larger than anything written in the Inheritance Cycle or seen in the World of Warcraft. A black dragon slowly turns to smoke and lands onto the floor of the lair as if it were a Death Eater. His new form reveals to be a human form with jet-black hair and black and red eyes behind a pair of cool glasses)**

**Kvsyaoran: Oh.**

**Naruto: My.**

**LR: God.**

**Kabuto: Dammit! I thought I had gotten rid of him!**

**Kvsyaoran: Azeroth44? It's you!**

**((Monster by Skillet begins to start playing))**

**AZ44: I have something to say...**

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><p><strong>Oh! A special announcement! I have selected my deviantart artist for the illustrations of the chapters and covers of my fanfics and has decided to get started on the beta readers and the author himself, me! Her name is twelfthofanickle and she's pretty decent when it comes to her art. I chose her for her enthusiasm and the fact that she really enjoys my commentary and even offered to illustrate several of the past introductions. I gave her the physical descriptions of us commentators and she will get started on getting them finished right away.<strong>

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto**

**Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros**

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><p>Chapter 12: The Bell Test<p>

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><p>While the bell test was being administered by the jounin Kakashi Hatake, two particular people were currently thinking about how the test was going. Iruka decided to pay the Hokage a visit and have tea with him; in the hopes that he would be able to discuss what had been on his mind for the last twenty-four hours. Sarutobi brought the young chunin to the patio where they enjoyed a silent but pleasing cup of tea with the occasional snack that Sarutobi primarily provided for himself, due to his sweet tooth. Iruka sipped on his tea once or twice, ignoring the slightly bitter taste, as he preferred a much sweeter variety.<p>

A void of silence permitted in the air until Sarutobi broke it, "You didn't just wanted to drink tea and chat. Didn't you, Iruka?"

"No, I didn't, sir..." the chunin shook his head, "Naruto was placed into Team 7, led by Kakashi Hatake... I wanted to know more about this guy..."

The Hokage asked, "Kakashi?"

"Yes... I heard rumors about him as well as his training methods. I wanted to know if they were true or not... If he's going to be giving them the bell test... they say that Kakashi is a ruthless teacher... I just hope that Naruto won't be taught by someone like Daikoku or that traitor Mizuki..."

Sarutobi withdrew a small green book from his robes and handed it to the tan-skinned man, "This is a list of students who were under Kakashi's wing... Those who passed and those who failed..."

Curiosity sparked his interest as Iruka took the book from Sarutobi's open hand and started reading it. As he flipped through the pages, Sarutobi could read the growing look of surprise and concern on Iruka's face as he slowly began to realize what kind of a teacher Kakashi was and what teaching methods he preferred.

"This is just-"

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><p>{{<em>Gilderoy Lockhart &amp; Cornish Pixies by John Williams<em>}}

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all disappeared from view, as it would seem that Kakashi were alone out there in the middle of the large training field. He looked around and tried to locate the positions of his vibrantly colored new students as he evaluated their abilities to hide and stalk their intended target. Kakashi tried to spot a hint of pink hair from Sakura, a red and white fire fan in the bushes and trees, and tried to find the worst color any shinobi could possibly wear if they desired to remain hidden. But to his surprise, each of his students, including Naruto, managed to stay invisible despite their ostentatious color choices.

"Shinobi must learn how to conceal their movements and hide effectively... It would seem that all three of them understand that concept well..."

Behind one of the bushes within the tree line, Naruto remained hidden as he was taught to in school. While he kept himself concealed, he tried to figure out a way to obtain one of those bells. He was determined to never have to return to the Academy again, granted that having Iruka as his teacher _and_ as his mentor while he was at school wasn't a bad thought once he took it into account. But he had worked so hard to get to this point, and the idea to have to put all of the effort he put into those three years to waste was not an option for him. He had to get one of those bells, even at the expense of one of his teammates.

'_**You know, that's not the point of this exercise, Little one...**_' his older brother commented once he piggybacked on Naruto's thoughts.

'_What?_'

'_**I'll tell you once you're ready to listen...**_' he sighed.

Naruto then gasped with his thoughts, '_The thought just occurred to me!_'

'_**What?**_'

'_I got a great idea how to get those bells in record time!_'

'_**You have?**_'

'_I'll use the Accio Charm! I'll get the job done in five seconds!_'

'_**That would be a wonderful idea, if it didn't defeat the purpose of keeping your magical abilities a secret...**_'

'_I'll do it when no one can possibly see me..._'

'_**So long as you're not caught, then you're welcome to try... But I doubt you'll be able to use that spell, considering the fact that you haven't even mastered it yet and that using the spell without the use of a wand would be ineffective at the level you're on with wandless magic...**_'

The boy wizard shook his head and jumped out of the bushes once Kakashi was facing opposite his direction. He went through multiple strategies to obtain one of those bells, but he decided to start out with a full-frontal physical assault just to know what his teacher was capable of and how far he was able to reach before he would find another way to grab one of those silver bells. Kakashi slowly turned around and opened his one eye wide once he spotted the human-target.

"Alright, sensei! Let's go! I wanna see what you're made of!" he announced.

The teacher gave Naruto a flat look with his lone eye as if he felt sorry for him for being so straight forward, "You know, you're really weird for a shinobi… Has anyone ever told you that?"

"You think I'm weird? Look at your haircut! If that's not weird or strange, then I don't know what is!" he retorted as his teacher took a small poke at his silver hair.

With that, the blonde genin ran at his sensei with top speeds. Kakashi just stood there as still as a statue while he looked at his student with a bored expression. He then lazily reached behind him and dug his hand into his weapons pouch to withdraw something. Naruto stopped in his tracks as he assumed Kakashi meant to pull out a weapon, but instead he took out a small orange book with a red restriction mark on the back. The cover portrayed a young, scandalous woman running away from a man with hearts in his eyes. The title of the book read Icha-Icha Paradise, or Make-Out Paradise, written by an anonymous author. The teacher looked over at the dumbfounded child and began a small lecture.

"Shinobi Battle Techniques, Part One; Taijutsu..."

Kakashi popped open his book and looked away from Naruto, tuning him out as he read from page to page of his novel. The blonde-haired genin thought that he was going to use it as a strange weapon. He thought the idea was odd, but he was going up against a man who looked like he had just jumped out of the nineteen-eighties, and acted like a master in a martial arts movie.

"Hold on! What's up with the book?"

The masked teacher answered in an amused voice, "Well, I want to find out what happens in the story, obviously... I've been dying to find out what happens at the end of this chapter!"

"As a teacher, shouldn't you be taking this a little more seriously?"

The jounin shrugged, "You're weak attacks wouldn't matter to me, even if I'm reading or whatever... Plus, with your diminished height, I can hardly perceive you as a threat... you're kind of short to be considered a shinobi."

"SHORT? WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL YOU WANNA CRUNCH LIKE AN ANT? I'LL SHOW YOU!"

Naruto burst through, running with his frustration towards his teacher driving him. He threw his arm back, jumped up high enough to hit his sensei in the head and made a move to slam him in the face. Kakashi blocked his attacked effortlessly and pushed him with the equal amount of force of someone pushing him. Naruto landed on the ground and tried to attack his teacher with a kick, that was proved to be pointless as Kakashi ducked down just in time, all the while he kept on reading his book. Naruto went around his teacher again and was about to punch him when he quickly shook his wrist and let a kunai fall out his sleeve and he grasped it. Naruto sensed his teacher having vanished with his impossible speed and reappeared behind him. He then turned around and sliced the air, not realizing that his teacher was crouched low to the ground with his book closed in between his hands as he made the handsign for the tiger.

Kakashi was surprised by Naruto's sudden movement and actually backed away too late after the child successfully cut him, '_What the-!_'

The teacher zoomed backward a few feet in a flash and looked at his hands to see them bleeding. Both the tips of his fingers were cut in and the fingernails of his index fingers were cut one-fourth of the way in. The tips of his nails then slid off his fingertips and fell onto the grass below him. Kakashi looked over at Naruto in the heat of the moment and looked very surprised as he began to run toward him, holding his kunai in the same fashion as a special person to him did once long ago.

'_What the hell was that?_' he thought, '_the report on this kid never said anything about him being good enough to do this...Ouch... He almost sliced off my fingers! I better keep on my toes for once..._'

Harry spotted the look in Kakashi's lone eye and warned, '_**That was good, Naruto. But he's starting to suspect something...**_'

'_Any ideas you care to mention?_'

'_**Keep your distance, Little one. But don't make it **_**look like**_** you're keeping your distance.**_'

'_Make up your mind! What do you want me to do?_'

'_**I don't know! Fight casually!**_'

'_Screw that! If I want to become a true genin, I have to fight! No more holding back!_'

Naruto lunged toward his sensei and tried again to get a hit on him. He slashed the air with his kunai, trying to sever the string attached to Kakashi's belt that held the jingling bells in place. Kakashi had to say that he never expected this child to use a smart technique like the one he was using. He had to stop reading his book several times just to dodge Naruto's attacks. All the while, the child was actually cutting tiny bits Kakashi's clothes a considerable number of times.

"Holy crap!" the teacher gasped once or twice.

This small genin was actually putting up one hell of a fight with his sensei. Kakashi eventually had to close his book after Naruto managed to scratch one of the pages and cut a corner clean off. He was then forced to put his book back into his pouch to keep it safe. With that, Naruto was the very first genin to have ever forced Kakashi to concentrate on a fight with a person who was below his rank. All of the effort put into this battle was admirable; but Naruto wasn't getting very far as his sensei still managed to keep the bells untouched and safe at his waist. Kakashi was far more experienced with taijutsu for the blonde student to obtain those bells by ordinary means. He was so good, that he didn't need to be looking at his enemy the whole time to do it; he could anticipate Naruto's movements before he even made them.

"Well! I'm impressed!"

For several minutes, Naruto kept on trying to grab, slice, and fight his way into grabbing one of those silver bells. It wasn't until Naruto felt a little tired and accidentally let himself open for attack again, did Kakashi make an attempt to use the technique he intended to use before Naruto started using his kunai. Kakashi reappeared behind his student and crouched down low. From out in the bushes, both Sasuke and Sakura recognized the handsign their teacher made the last time and assumed he was doing it again when he aimed at Naruto from behind. The sign the two of them remembered was the handsign normally associated with jutsu that created fire out of converted chakra. Both of the other genin were shocked that their sensei would use such an attack but only Sakura spoke up to warn their teammate.

"However..." advised the silver-haired man, "Never let your opponent _ever_ get behind you, Naruto..."

Sakura screamed from out of her hiding place, "You baka! Get out of there!"

Naruto was distracted by his teammate's voice and had lost the chance to dodge whatever attack his new teacher was about to use.

"Too late!" Kakashi said playfully.

The boy turned around in time to see the older man have a sharp look in his remaining eye when he balled his hands into fists and charged forward like a wild animal, aiming for the poor child's rear end. Naruto felt as if a train had rammed into him from behind when his sensei slammed his rock-hard fists right into Naruto's rear. Meanwhile, his companion groaned in embarrassment as Kakashi roared out the name of his secret technique.

He roared out, "_Konohagakure Village Secret Taijutsu!_ _A THOUSAND YEARS OF PAIN!_"

The other genin watched as Naruto flew up into the air like a rocket until he crashed into the river and sank into its murky depths. Kakashi then stood up and went straight back to reading. He started to giggle and blush under his mask when he happened upon a particularly humorous part of his adult novel, as the R-Rating labeled at the top corner of the book's back cover revealed. Sakura looked extremely pissed off at her troublesome teammate for forcing her to sacrifice her location to her sensei just to warn him. Up in the trees, Sasuke watched in slight amusement at seeing his inferior being dominated by their jounin instructor, though he thought the two of them were acting like complete and total morons.

As Naruto sank deep into the waters of the river, he thought, '_How am I supposed to beat this guy on my own?_'

He quickly clicked his fingers and cried under the water, "_Accio bells!_"

Above the water, the bells around Kakashi's belt twitched and almost flew up towards the wizard in the water before falling back down, motionless again. Naruto tried it again and again, but the bells never flew out from their master. His spell usage was too weak without the assistance of a wand and like his older brother told him earlier, he hadn't mastered the spell, since he could not summon a book from across the training room in the mindscape even with his wand. He knew the enunciation and the amount of magic to use it correctly. He just didn't understand that he had to have the image of the object in question in his mind for it to work.

He then cursed out loud in the form of large bubbles coming from his mouth as a sign of his obvious frustration. Naruto then withdrew two shuriken from his pouch and used a simple spell he knew to send them flying out of the water and launched them at the teacher. When they were just about to hit him, the jounin made a swift movement with his arm and in a flash, Kakashi had caught the weapons with his fingers and dropped them lazily onto the ground. All the while, he kept on reading his explicit book.

'_YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!_'

'_**Maybe the point is that you shouldn't be facing him on your own, Little one...**_'

'_Fine! Ninjutsu it is! I bet a few shadow clones can help me!_'

Naruto listened to Harry's voice and got an idea at what he was hinting at. He put his hands together and started creating as many shadow clones as he could with what little energy he had without food in his stomach. He made sure that they all held their breath and stayed planted to the riverbed as the real one let the river take him with it's current. While the real one was taken out far enough, he floated up to the surface and made his way through the forest to move around his sensei, opposite the river. Then one of the shadow clones emerged from the water and acted like the real one, earning Kakashi's undivided attention.

"What are you doing? You know you should probably give up now that you've run out of gas…" he suggested lazily.

The clone responded, "I still got a chance to beat you even if I don't have all the energy from a good morning breakfast-" he was interrupted when his stomach started to rumble for nourishment.

From out in the trees and bushes, Kakashi could hear the other two genin when their stomachs started growling even from a distance. Sakura's the most, since she had decided last night that she should go on a diet and skip dinner in exchange for a more slim frame. Her determination to look good and slim in front of Sasuke was backfiring on her already, as she hit her head against the ground in regret.

Kakashi said to the clone, "I don't think that whole proclamation that you made about becoming Hokage means anything if you haven't got the strength to back it up... It's almost pathetic…"

"I told you yesterday that I don't enjoy being underestimated, sensei! I'm not going back to the Academy!" the wet child said back.

Just then, six shadow clones came out of the water and jumped onto the ground, soaking wet as they were. They each started running at the same speed as the original and charged at Kakashi with the intention of assisting in capturing a bell from around his belt. Naruto didn't bother with showing off his jutsu by announcing it and just went ahead with his goal. Kakashi turned toward the river and did not look surprised to see this jutsu used, though he was mildly amused that this genin was able to use it with what little chakra he had in his body without food. In the trees and bushes, Sakura was amazed once she realized that the clones were not mirages, but made of solid substance. Sasuke raised his eyebrows once he saw it as well and kept on wondering how he learned to use this jutsu.

"The stories are true, he_ can_ make shadow clones! This must be the jutsu you used to defeat Mizuki, huh?" questioned the jounin.

All six Naruto-clones sprint towards Kakashi with the determination to obtain one of those bells fueling them without end. Even still, the tired jounin sighed at all the effort.

"You're still Naruto, you know. No matter how many copies that you make of yourself, you won't be able to beat me-"

Kakashi was interrupted when the real Naruto finally made his appearance and grabbed his teacher from behind and refused to let go of him until the job was done. Kakashi gasped in total surprise as he failed to sense the real Naruto approaching him from behind. Naruto had his invisible associate help him with making his chakra signature completely invisible as they approached the teacher and used the clones as both the helping hand as well as a distraction. Kakashi was amazed that Naruto actually managed to make him think he was talking to the genuine article. The hidden genin were also amazed, as they never saw Naruto pull something like this off before. The blonde child put the gloves off and wasn't going to hold back now that he was so close.

"GO FOR THE BELL! GRAB IT!" the original shouted to the others.

One clone jumped up out of all the rest to attack Kakashi and incapacitate him, while the others made their way toward the bells. The real one still kept a firm hold of the sensei, but out of temptation he moved his hand down and reached for one of those small silver orbs. His pointer finger and thumb actually touched it, just as the others were almost there to tackle Kakashi to the ground. When out of nowhere, Naruto's firm grip over his sensei faltered and he was instantly replaced with one of the shadow clones. The shadow clone he was holding then fell to the ground with him and crushed him. This was then followed when the rest of the clones collapsed on top of him and crushed him even more. The clones then started scrambling to their feet while the original started looking around in all directions.

"_Release!_" he announced, cancelling his shadow clones and clearing the field.

He darted around and searched for a hair or sign of Kakashi when he was surprised to find that he had used the Replacement Jutsu and fled the battlefield. Naruto's teammates looked at him and thought he looked like a complete dork and moron, as he was not able to find Kakashi after he had escaped. The golden-haired genin grunted angrily as he started swearing that he was so close to getting one of those bells. He kicked the ground in frustration and sauntered over towards a tree to relax and start thinking up of his next move. Right when he was about to rest in the shade and get over his growling stomach, his eye caught a sparkle of silver. He opened his eyes and saw to his surprise that one of the bells was right there under the shade of the tree.

"What luck!" he proclaimed loudly as he was about to jump ahead and grab the bell, but then he stopped and jumped back, "Wait a second! That's way too obvious..."

He walked away from the tree and grabbed a few branches that were scattered around the area and took out some of his weapons. Naruto then threw his gathered items at the area around the bell and just as he had predicted, two of the branches thrown were snapped upward and revealed two rope traps waiting for him. He smirked at catching the traps before he fell for them and walked over to pick up the bell. His fingertips touched the cold surface of the silver bells for the second time before something happened that Naruto couldn't have anticipated. He saw a blue, green, and silver-haired blur appear in his line of sight before he felt like he was being captured and then suspended upside down by a rope wrapped around his ankles.

"WHOA!" he had yelled when his teacher used his lightning-fast speed to capture his student and prevent him from obtaining one of the bells. The jounin instructor then used another rope to bound Naruto's ankles, and then hung him upside-down from a tall branch above him. Naruto swayed from side to side as he growled at his instructor and balled his hands into rock-hard fists, "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

"I'm afraid not," Kakashi answered when he appeared and re-obtained the bell he set up, "I've got say, that I'm impressed that you didn't fall for the trap I set up. I thought you were supposed to be an idiot. Good thing to know that's not entirely true."

Naruto growled at his teacher for ruining his chance again but did not give up right there, even while he was upside down. He reached into his weapons pouch and threw a kunai at Kakashi, who slid to his side, but caused the string on the bells to sliced clean off his belt. The golden-haired genin almost gasped when he thought Kakashi hadn't noticed until the bells toned again and the jounin looked down in amusement.

"Well, you're just full of surprises! But it's too bad that I'm not deaf..." the teacher said as he picked up those silver bells, "Though your efforts are outstanding... they really are... No student has ever forced me to work this hard before…"

From the trees several yards away, Sasuke saw Kakashi fixating his attention on the golden-haired pariah as he was starting to lecture him about deception and what he should do next time. With their teacher's guard down, Sasuke took his chance to attack for those bells and threw two handfuls of his weapons out at Kakashi. His weapons let out a sharp whistling noise as they zoomed from the trees and hit Kakashi's entire right half. Their sensei fell, blood leaking from his head and shoulders before he exploded into white smoke and a wooden log replaced him with the weapons encased inside the wood. Naruto turned wide-eyed, and Sakura screamed at Sasuke's actions, before all of them saw their sensei use the Replacement Jutsu and disappear again.

Sasuke cursed, '_Damn that log! He dropped his guard on purpose, so that he can locate my position!_ _I fell for it!_'

* * *

><p>The manifested pride of the Uchiha zoomed away from his original hiding place and tried to relocate before Kakashi could intercept him. For having screamed at seeing her crush hit their teacher with shuriken and given out her position for the second time, Sakura abandoned her hiding spot too and tried her best to avoid Naruto while she searched for her black-haired prince, even though she had no clue where he had run off to.<p>

'_Sasuke-kun! Where are you? Don't tell me Kakashi-sensei already found you! He can't capture my Sasuke-kun! I WON'T LET HIM!_'

The pink-haired kunoichi jumped and stopped boisterously when she spotted Kakashi reading his book in a small-secluded grove. Sakura crouched down to the ground, on her knees and held her breath. She sighed when she saw that her sensei made no move or showed any sign of having detected her obvious entrance.

'_Phew! It's a good thing that stealth is one of my strengths!_' she lied to herself before she heard a crunching noise from her right and a voice whisper in her ear.

"Sakura! Behind you!"

The pink-haired girl turned around, crunching dirt and twigs beneath her and saw Kakashi crouching right there with a childish eye-smile on his masked face as he put his hands together for a jutsu. Sakura let out a loud and shrill scream that echoed through the entire training ground, causing Naruto and Sasuke to look up when the two of them saw birds fly out from the trees.

* * *

><p>Back with Iruka and the Hokage, the tan-skinned chunin was starring at the book that the old man had given him with a scandalized expression on his smooth face, trying not to believe what he had laid out in front of him.<p>

"This is just insane! These are worse than the rumors!" he said.

Hiruzen took a deep breath of smoke on his pipe and sighed, "This proves that Kakashi's testing methods are a little bit more difficult than the others..."

"A _little bit_ more difficult?" he said in a slight sarcastic tone, "Kakashi has never passed a single student! Not one!"

The old Hokage frowned as he looked down into his cup of tea, watching the liquid ripple and wave back and forth as if he commanded it to. He calmly closed his eyes and remembered all of the hopeful and promising genin that Kakashi took on as well as the spoiled brats that he had denied the right to become shinobi.

"None of them apparently could live up to his standards... All of the students that he tested, he didn't bother with sending them back to the Academy... He had them expelled from the Shinobi Program..."

Iruka's eyes turned wide and worried as his thoughts turned to his favorite student, '_Naruto..._'

* * *

><p>The youthful blonde boy sneezed and started swaying backward and forward, making him feel like he would throw up at any moment. This was one of the reasons that he never attended amusement parks or went on back-and-forth rides when he was little. But thanks to his empty stomach, he didn't have to unease himself about throwing up. While Naruto's stomach turned to knots, he focused and tried to think of a new strategy to take down Kakashi and get his hands on one of those troublesome bells.<p>

'_ARGH! What do I do now? There's got to be a way for a genin to beat a jounin like him!_'

'_**That little thing I mentioned about facing him on your own... I wasn't talking about making shadow clones, Naruto...**_'

'_Wait a second..._' he realized as he continued to sway back and forth for another few minutes, '_There was more to what the sensei said earlier..._'

The older wizard smiled in anticipation, '_**And that was?**_'

'_Kakashi-sensei doesn't want us to pit against each other... He wants us to make it seem like that! He tricked us!_' the boy slowly came to the conclusion, '_He wants us to understand that we have to battle him as one... We have to act like a team!_'

'_**Bingo!**_'

The invigorated genin student took a kunai from his pouch and sliced the rope to be set free. He jumped out from under the tree in case there were more traps and ran into the woods to search for his teammates, that is if he could find them in time. While Naruto burst through the trees and jumped over the bushes, Harry had a short conversation about the spoiled children his brother went searching for.

'_**What are the chances that those two geniuses will listen to you about teamwork...?**_'

'_The chances do not seem high. But it's still worth a try... I just got to find them first!_'

Naruto jumped off of a tree branch and zoomed down into a meadow before he turned to a different direction as he tried his best to locate his teammates by picking up their chakra signatures. When he ducked under a large branch, he sensed a powerful source of chakra pulsing from another field and stormed to the direction of that source.

A strong wind picked up around Sakura as a storm of endless foliage surrounded her. She watched as those leaves swirled around her and formed into a vortex of wind and forest. Her pupils became dilated and glazed as she was hypnotized by the beautiful patterns she picked up in the wall of leaves that whizzed around her. She almost felt herself begin to fall asleep; she felt as light a feather, as if the wind were picking her up high, high into the sky along with the leaves. She let herself go as she started spinning and spinning faster and faster with each passing second as the wind whistled a lullaby into her ears.

This strange sensation went on for several minutes until Sakura felt her feet hit solid ground again and she opened her eyes, fully awake and finding that she had walked out of the forest and into the middle of a field.

"Oh!" she gasped, "What was that? What's going on? I felt something! What was it? Eek!"

Sakura darted her head in all directions. Wondering how on earth she had gotten into this field and where Kakashi had run off. She knew that she had seen him right in front of her and then right behind her as if he too could use the same jutsu she saw Naruto using earlier. She was frightened now that she had no idea where he was or what he had done to her. Sakura kept looking around, expecting to see her new teacher pop up and frighten her with a random boo-scare, like in horror films. She stopped panicking when she heard a rustling of leaves and the crunch of twigs from behind her. She then heard a voice come from behind her that sounded like her beloved.

The voice muttered, "Sakura..."

"Sasuke-kun!" she cried cheerfully as she turned to him.

But then she froze and turned bloodless as she looked to see Sasuke crumbled onto the ground and leaning against one of the trees in the forest wall. He was bleeding from almost every pore on his body. He had his left arm sliced off at the elbow, leaking out blood and exposing flesh and bone. His back was lodged with various weapons, staining his shredded clothes with dark crimson. There were shuriken and kunai stuck in his thighs, left cheek, and even his chest. His left leg couldn't move and the other leg was twisted in the other direction and broken. Sasuke couldn't breath as he looked up to his teammate with blood-shot eyes.

"S-Sakura... H-help m-m-me…" he groaned over and over again.

The junior librarian turned pale as she let tears run down her face at the sight of the corpse of the boy she claimed to be in love with. She soon let out a terrible scream and threw her arms in the air before fainting as Sasuke tried to crawl towards her before his other arm fell off like a zombie.

Up in the trees just above the kunoichi, Kakashi was reading his book before he canceled the genjutsu he placed over Sakura and watched the fake Sasuke crumble into dust.

"Hmm… was that too much?" he wondered out loud, "Oh, well... She's got to learn how to see through these things..."

* * *

><p>Sasuke turned around in the small field he had just entered when he heard Sakura's blood-chortling scream. He recognized it and was about to investigate when he heard the jingle of two bells toll from the other side of the field behind him. He refused to turn around to face the source of the bells as he tried to detect if it were a genjutsu set up to throw him off the beaten track and so that he would look intimidating.<p>

"Shinobi Battle Techniques, Part Two; Genjutsu. Sakura studied it in class, and she still couldn't recognize it," said the masked jounin.

The black-haired teen scoffed and realized that his teammate would be fine, '_A genjutsu... I'm not surprised that he got Sakura with it... She's weak... But..._' he opened his eyes and focused, "I'm not like Sakura or Naruto..." he said to Kakashi, who was leaning against the tree across from him and reading his book.

Kakashi said and then mocked the attitude of the kunoichi he caused to faint, "You can say that after you've manage to catch one of the bells... _Sasuke-kun_..."

* * *

><p>Back with Naruto, he zoomed through the trees and followed the source of chakra he felt had been gathered in a sort of vortex or storm. He followed the source but as he got closer, he felt it turn into a sort of dome around a group of trees and earth. Once he had gotten closer to the dome, he heard the sound of his pink-haired teammate scream and then the dome vanished. He panicked and slipped on a branch he was about to jump off of and hit another tree by accident.<p>

"OOF!"

Naruto fell to the ground in a painful heap but recovered after a few minutes, slightly dirtied up and bruised.

When he entered the field where he sensed the power surge, he couldn't find a trace of Sakura anywhere. He looked around and stretched out his senses like what Harry did and could feel two other chakra signatures in the forest to his left. Naruto opened his eyes and followed where he picked up the source, missing Sakura's unconscious person by inches when he passed a bush where she was seen foaming at the mouth from comical shock.

* * *

><p>Sasuke turned toward Kakashi, and the jounin looked over to him, ready to dodge whatever he had to throw. Sasuke had a solid look of determination on his face while his teacher looked bored with a subtle look of interest in his eyes as he was facing against the only remaining member of the Uchiha clan. Though the title wasn't enough to get Kakashi interested in an actual battle, right now, he was more interested in reading to the end of this next chapter.<p>

The Uchiha heir leaned forward and bent his knees as he reached back into his weapons pouch. He threw a number of weapons at Kakashi, who dodged them by striding to his right.

"Frontal attacks aren't going to work on me..." he pointed out.

Sasuke smirked at his teacher and threw another kunai, purposely missing Kakashi and aiming for something else. The jounin stretched out his own senses and felt the kunai zoom passed him and cut a rope, activating a trap. Kakashi stropped striding and jumped out of the way as ten weapons came flying out of the bushes and embedding themselves into the tree where Kakashi's body would have been if he hadn't jumped out of the way. He reappeared in the middle of the small field where Sasuke was waiting for him as he jumped and tried to kick his teacher right in the head.

Kakashi blocked his attack and grabbed his leg. Sasuke tried to punch the masked shinobi in the face, but he blocked that with his free hand. But the Uchiha refused to throw in the towel as he kicked with his other leg, only for the jounin to block it with his left arm that was still holding back Sasuke's first kick. The Uchiha heir smirked when he heard those irritating bells jingle and he reached with his right arm to grab them. Kakashi's eye turned wide and he gasped when Sasuke grasped the bell in his hand and almost clenched his fist around it. But the jounin let go of Sasuke and backed away over fifty feet and tucked his book into his pouch.

'_This kid..._' he said as he watched him land back on his two feet, '_He's fierce... I can't even read Icha-Icha Paradise with him fighting like this... He's pretty much at the same level of surprise attacks as Naruto…_'

"Well," the shinobi had to admit, "You are pretty good considering that you're still a genin, but you're still just a beginner."

Sasuke flipped through ten different handsigns as he focused a great deal of chakra into his lungs and breathed in with all his might. He gathered his power and focused it up through his throat as he ended with the sign of the tiger, the handsign that was mentioned to be associated with jutsu that involved fire and destruction.

"_Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!_" he roared.

Kakashi turned wide-eyed at this and exclaimed, "_What?_ Genin can't use fire jutsu! It sucks up way too much chakra! There's no way!"

The Uchiha prince hurled backward a few steps and then released his breath, letting loose a great gigantic ball of fire from his mouth. Having built up a great deal of air in his lungs, kept the jutsu going and in full-throttle as the force of his artificial flames caused a large crater to form in the place where Kakashi was standing. The intense flames of the fire caused Sasuke to sweat at the face and neck as he slowly let the jutsu go and let the great ball of fire shrink down to the size of a medicine ball.

Once the flames vanished, the black-haired teen looked around and searched for his teacher, whom he was expecting to see injured from the intense heat of the fire. But there was nothing there but the crater and a large fume of dark smoke coming out from the ground. Sasuke panicked, as he was sure that his jutsu had worked. He looked up, to check if Kakashi was up above him and about to strike. He looked all around him, side to side, diagonally and in every horizontal direction to be thought possible until he heard Kakashi speak to him.

"Below."

A strong, gloved hand erupted from the ground beneath Sasuke and grabbed one of his ankles. The teen then felt his whole body be forced down into the earth as Kakashi switched places with Sasuke and forced him underground, leaving only his head above the earth to breath. Kakashi knelt down to Sasuke's level and explained with another of the strange smiles he gave to the other genin.

"Earth-Style: Headhunter Jutsu... That was an example of ninjutsu, the Third Part of the Shinobi Battle Techniques... You've got talent, and you _are_ different from Naruto or Sakura, but _different_ is not always _better_... Heh! They say the nail that sticks up is the one that goes down! You should watch out for hammers!"

"Damn you!" yelled the pampered prince.

* * *

><p>After Kakashi left him there in the hot sun, Sasuke tried to meddle out of his earthly confines. As he managed get his head an inch higher above ground, his teammate Sakura was just about to run right through the field and miss him. But she noticed his unusual mop of handsome black hair, and caught the shine of his gleaming headband. At spotting him there, she stopped dead in her footsteps and almost fainted again. She looked at him one more time, and watched him as he starred up at her, expecting to be helped out of his prison in the ground.<p>

"Sakura... could you get me out of here, please?" he asked.

She then yelled at the top of her lungs, "SASUKE-KUN HAS BEEN DECAPITATED!"

The girl fell on her back and fainted once again, this time, being her most pathetic excuse for doing so. Sasuke just starred at her unconscious form and couldn't believe that this girl was going to be one of his teammates for the rest of his time as a part of the team. He soon dug his own way out of the prison that confined him after almost forty-five patient minutes and crawled over to wake her up again. He moved her head from side to side, actually being gentle and patient with her, as harming her to wake up wouldn't do either of them good. She slowly came to and marveled when she saw her crush was alive and well.

"Sasuke-kun!" she cried when she reached out to hug him close.

The black-haired teen tried to get her to stop it as she kept reaching to pull him into an embrace, "Cut it out! _Will you let go of me?_ Get off!"

* * *

><p>Naruto bolted through another group of trees and finally stormed into the small field where Kakashi and Sasuke had their short brawl. He spotted the crater and looked up at the rising column of smoke before he noticed Sasuke and Sakura were discussing something in private. The blonde-haired preteen listened in as Sasuke was discussing his reasons for him to pass this test and become a genin while he hinted the identity of his older brother to the girl listening to him. Naruto found it very strange and unusual that Sakura, of all people, still had no idea that the old classroom heartthrob desired to kill his older brother for murdering the rest of the clan. If she really cared about Sasuke so much, then she should have been aware of who was responsible for annihilating the rest of the Uchiha and why Sasuke had the dark and brooding personality she was so attracted to.<p>

(A/N: I'm actually serious. Read the manga or watch this scene in the original anime again, she doesn't even know who Itachi is until the viewer does, it's really weird.)

Once Sasuke was finished with his dramatic monologue, Naruto came out from behind one of the trees and called out to his teammates.

"Thank goodness that I found you two!"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows at Naruto before he dropped them and scoffed. The pink-haired menace turned and quickly fumed at her idiotic teammate.

"I've got a great idea! We could-" he started.

Sakura interrupted angrily, "NARUTO-BAKA! Go away! We have to concentrate on the test! You're being a distraction!"

The blonde wizard froze in his steps as his black-haired teammate took a step forward and seized him up. Sasuke then grabbed his teammate's white collar to his orange and blue tracksuit and forced him to look into his cold beetle-black eyes. Sakura stood by his side like a hound and continued to fume at the blonde as her associate put in his word to get rid of their troublesome teammate.

"We're working against each other here, dobe. You should clear off now before I have to force you," he threatened.

Naruto tried to reach out to them and get them to understand what he discovered, "If you would just listen to me. We need to work as a team-"

"I don't want to hear it, Naruto-baka! PISS OFF!" the pink-haired kunoichi hissed at him.

Sasuke grunted at both his teammates and threw Naruto into the base of a tree. The thrust forced knocked the wind to out of him and he started to have trouble breathing. Sasuke then turned his back to both his teammates while Naruto tried to get both his teammates to listen to him even though he could not breath, "I'm getting out of here..."

The Uchiha ran off and vanished into the forest as he went on another search for Kakashi and the bells. Sakura gasped at his departure and ran after him, not caring that she was leaving her other teammate behind, downtrodden and unable to breath for almost a solid minute. Naruto tried to call out to them but he failed to convince his teammates to team up and take their teacher down as one.

"Sasuke-kun! WAIT! Sasuke-kun!" the blonde boy heard her cry out until her voice died out.

Once Naruto could breath again, he tried to call them back as loud as he could, "Guys! STOP! GET BACK HERE, YOU THICK GITS!"

But neither one of them returned or cared to listen to what he had to tell them. Naruto grunted and kicked the pile of dirt created when Sasuke escaped from Kakashi's previous jutsu. He then punched each tree he walked passed in frustration towards his dark-haired teammate. His continued frustration was then aimed towards his reputation as a dead-last student. It was because of that idiotic title that his teammates refused to listen to him and that a lot of people underestimated him. But even with that reputation behind him, it wasn't fair that the others still treated him like he was brain-dead. Just because he didn't do well in tests didn't mean that it was impossible for him to have an occasional good idea from time to time. If by some divine miracle that they would be able to become an official genin team, Naruto swore that he would have to show these people that even a so-called idiot could be smart or clever whenever it was required.

* * *

><p>Naruto tread through the forest and made his way back to the three posts and the river to see if he could come up with a good idea. He soon entered the vast field and walked over to the kunai-shaped stone carving, hoping it could inspire some idea that would aid him in getting a bell. He thought maybe he could try using a Severing Charm from a distance and get one of the bells, but the noise the instruments made would alert Kakashi and he would just tie them back to his waist. He thought of using a Silencing Charm to solve this problem, but the sound of the bells being silenced could alert Kakashi as well if he saw them fall. He looked over the smooth stone of the memorial and widened his eyes when he spotted two bento boxes next to Kakashi's backpack. Naruto thought it over for a second and smiled once an idea finally hit him.<p>

"Oh, my God..." he said silently.

He quickly grabbed the boxes and walked behind the memorial to sit down. Naruto crossed his legs and placed the boxes down on his lap while he slammed his hands together and smiled.

'_This isn't exactly a smart idea... But it's an idea nonetheless! I could trade Kakashi-sensei the lunches for the bells...!_'

'_**You're going to lure him in and then bribe him for the bells... Nice!**_'

'_Why the tone of surprise? That's what some shinobi do, right? Plus! If I can attract Sasuke or Sakura's attention, then maybe I can get them to listen to me and turn against sensei! Or as an added bonus, I might be able to Confund sensei if my teammates don't show up and get the bells from him! What do you think? Will you help me Confund him? You can work through a shadow clone I can create to get him from behind!_'

'_**Yes! Fantastic! I say go for it! Let's get ready with the shadow clone to Confund him! The others are out there, but not close enough to witness any magic! Make that shadow clone and have it hide close to the memorial stone! This can work!**_'

Naruto placed his hands together and used his signature jutsu to create a shadow clone. The clone turned to the trees and bushes around the memorial and readied its hand until their teacher would arrive. Naruto smirked and then approached the obsidian memorial and placed the bento boxes on his lap while he rubbed his hands together with excitement.

'_Right! Time to lure him in!_'

The boy cleared his throat and breathed a great deal of air in his lungs and shouted, "Oh boy! I _can't wait_ to eat _all_ of these lunches!"

Naruto looked around, hoping to see Kakashi burst out of the trees to stop him, but no one came to the rescue. He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and was about to reach and open one of the boxes before he called out, "Kakashi-sensei! I'm stealing and eating all of the bento boxes now! You better come out and stop me!"

He opened the first box a crack, but then froze when a gloved hand grasped his spell-casting hand and squeezed it to make Naruto start to squeal in slight pain. At the same time, the shadow clone hidden in the bushes exploded from the sudden broken line of concentration but went unnoticed as the silver-haired teacher was focused on the real Naruto, that lured him into a clever, but failed trap.

"Like this, Naruto?" asked Kakashi's cool voice.

The child looked up to see his sensei hanging over him and casting a large and frightening shadow over him as the blonde paled in slight fear, "Umm... I was just kidding, sensei..."

"Too late," he answered back

* * *

><p>Before he and Harry could even use a spell on his teacher or grab the bells, Naruto was thrown against the middle post in an instant and was tied down with several ropes. A few seconds later, the timer went off and announced the end of the test. The blonde shinobi cursed at his luck and Kakashi's unimaginable speed while he started to kick his feet back at the post with even more frustration, to the point were his face almost turned red. Sasuke and Sakura returned from different parts of the forest and sat down next to the other two posts. After a few minutes, each of their stomach's growled as lunchtime loomed over them and the smell of the delicious bento boxes caused them to become desperate and weak.<p>

Kakashi then taunted them, "Uh-oh! Stomachs are growling. That's too bad... Oh, and about this little exercise of ours..." the children looked up and listened, "I've decided that none of you will have be sent back to the Academy..."

The blonde one in the middle gasped, "You're joking..."

"I passed?" questioned Sakura, "But all I did was scream, faint, and fall over..."

'_**Well, at least she admits it...**_'

Sasuke remained silent, as he looked up with a tone of surprise and hope in his black eyes. Sakura started jumping up and down in victory while her inner-persona claimed that it was true love that got her through the exam. Naruto, despite being bound to a post, moved his legs as if he were jumping up and down as well. Kakashi smiled at the students with that same eye-smile he used earlier, before his eye opened up and did a complete opposite with his emotions when his eye turned cold and wrathful. Naruto stopped celebrating at once while it took his teacher's furious voice to shut up Sakura and make Sasuke frown even deeper.

"Instead, all three of you are being dropped from the Shinobi Program, _permanently_... I'm expelling you spoiled brats!"

Sakura and Sasuke both twitched in shock as Kakashi gave them the offer to give up and save them the humiliation of having their headbands stripped from them force against their will.

To that, Naruto responded with, "_What do you mean, we should just quit?_"

Harry looked up and watched the scene as his little brother stood up against Kakashi's condescending words, encouraging them to give up. The jounin instructor looked over to him, but refused to be amused with his defiant behavior.

"We couldn't get a bell, I understand that! But why should we have to just give up our dreams, and all that we've worked so hard for? Why should we have to be forced to quit?"

The older wizard smiled and closed his eyes in glorious nostalgia. He was glad that Naruto inherited a number of his personality traits; which included an unrelenting habit of questioning authority as well as an unwillingness to give up. Which admittedly was a trait Naruto developed on his own accord. But even so, Harry still smiled as his little brother stood up to defend his dream to become a shinobi. He wasn't going to just give up right here. Not after all he's been through and all he suffered.

Kakashi answered with "Because you don't have what it takes to be a shinobi... None of you do!"

Sasuke became furious at being denied to become a shinobi and obtain the power to obliterate Itachi. So he hurdled up from his seat on the ground and lunged at Kakashi. But once the Uchiha was close enough to attack him, the masked shinobi intercepted him and the next thing all of them knew, the jounin instructor was sitting on top of the Uchiha heir, pinning him to the ground and restraining him. The spoiled prince tried to kick his way out, doing anything to harm the older shinobi while Sakura shrieked for their eccentric teacher to release him and screamed harsh insults at him. The girl's screams and Sasuke's attempts to escape were then silenced and stopped when Kakashi glared at them and spoke in a disturbingly sinister voice.

"Are you trying to _make fun_ of the shinobi with your behavior? _WELL, ARE YOU?_"

Sakura fell down on her bottom as their sensei's words were powerful enough to make their world tremble. Sasuke coughed up some dirt but did not dare to move, because he too was scared of his sensei. Harry could see him sweating and trembling as his world turned cold, being at the epicenter of Kakashi Hatake's wrath.

"Did any of you even stop to wonder, for just one second, _why_ you were even divided into teams?"

Naruto lowered his gaze from his teacher while Sakura and Sasuke were still none the wiser. She put her hands close to her face in a defensive reflex that would make the shiest girl in their graduating class look butch.

She asked him, "W-what do you mean?"

"Obviously, not," the teacher realized, "So you guys missed the entire point of this exercise completely?"

Sasuke spat out some dirt and asked, "It had a point?"

"Of course it had a point. And understanding the point was what would determine whether or not you would be able to pass and become official genin."

Sakura still didn't get it, "But... You haven't explained anything about that at the beginning!"

"I don't _freaking_ believe this..." Kakashi shook his head, "You guys have no idea why three people are put on a team, or why we _have_ teams to begin with? You guys never questioned the point?"

Naruto closed his eyes and asked hesitantly, expecting the answer, "What... what point was it?"

"Teamwork." he stated clearly.

The blonde boy sighed in depression as Sakura and Sasuke came to the same conclusion that their teammate came to in his head over an hour ago. As Sasuke spat up some more dirt, Sakura tried to think of a way to excuse themselves for their poor performances instead of facing their punishments like true adults.

"If you three had come at me all at once, together, you might have been able to take the bells."

"But you set up this exercise with two bells! But there are three of us!" the pink-haired menace shouted, "That would mean only two of us would keep them, and that would lead to a conflict and then we would have collapsed!"

Their teacher explained after a deep sigh, "Exactly... I purposely pitted you against each other. That was set up to see if you could overcome your overall differences and put the good of the team ahead of yourselves. Genin should have a natural knack for teamwork and be able to cooperate to achieve the greater good..."

The genin remained frozen for a few short seconds before Kakashi boomed at the first person he felt should get a well-deserved scolding.

"Sakura," the pink-headed girl jumped and listened, as she was chewed out for the first time in her life, "You were selfishly obsessing over Sasuke, even though you didn't even know where he was. And you_ ignored_ Naruto who was right in front of you and didn't even lift a _finger_ to help him!"

She dropped her head and Kakashi moved on to the next person.

"Naruto! You feel that you never need to be helped... Though your efforts were admirable and should have been the effort of all three of you. You still needed help only you never asked for it."

The blonde preteen sunk his head at his desire to be the hero, as his companion groaned that he might have passed that habit down to his brother. Naruto was tempted to shout that he had tried to convince his teammates into an alliance, but he had a strong feeling that Kakashi would not believe him nor would he have the desire to hear excuses at this point. The blonde-haired pariah then looked down at his feet while he wished that he had listened to Harry sooner and had figured out the hidden meaning to the lesson so he would have more time to convince his teammates.

"And you, Sasuke Uchiha. You felt like your teammates were so far beneath you that they were worthless. You just thought that your own teammates would just get in your way... Such arrogance to think like that! You're a team! _Learn to act like one_! Sure it's necessary for shinobi to have individual skills, but it's worthless if you don't use teamwork, the most essential element that every shinobi understands! _Everyone knows this!_"

Kakashi reached back into his weapons pouch and grabbed a kunai, "If a single shinobi puts themselves above the rest of the team, this will lead to unavoidable danger and possibly death! For example," their teacher suddenly leaned in forward and pressed his kunai against Sasuke's throat, "Sakura!_ Kill Naruto right now or Sasuke dies._"

Harry looked at Kakashi through his brother's eyes and couldn't help but think back to his previous lifetime, when he and his friends were attempting to escape Malfoy Manor. When Ron lost control of his emotions and barged into the drawing room of the manor to attack Bellatrix and the other members of the family to rescue Hermione. He could remember how defeated the two of them both felt when Hermione was being held at knifepoint forcing them both to drop their wands and surrender. If their friend Dobby hadn't interfered, then they would have met their end at the hands of the Death Eaters. All because Ron couldn't stay put for a few moments to think up of a plan to save Hermione and use teamwork.

As Sakura was given her example, she thought it to be real for a second and reached for her weapons pouch without a second thought but the invisible wizard master caught her actions.

'_**Screw you, fangirl!**_'

Kakashi soon put his weapon away and tucked it back into his pouch before he released Sasuke and pushed him back to the posts. The pink-haired librarian heiress sighed in relief when her crush slowly stood up on his own two feet and tried to walk back to his tree post with as much dignity as possible. She ignored Naruto looking slightly angry with her for a change, since he caught the move she made for her weapons.

"The day will come when one of you may be taken hostage and are forced to make a choice as bad as that... As a shinobi, your life will always be on the line, especially when you're on a mission," Kakashi walked over to the kunai-shaped memorial and put his hands in his pockets as he stared at some particular names that were engraved into the surface, "Look at this marker... all of the names carved into the stone... These are the heroes of our village... True shinobi..."

Naruto smiled excitedly and said insensitively, "I guess that's where I want my name to go in the future! If they're heroes of the village, that's the place for me!"

"Ahem! The names listed on this stone were particular heroes... All of them were killed in action..." he explained clearly, "This memorial stone... it includes the names of my best friends... They're all here..."

Naruto's smile immediately dropped as he berated himself for his insensitivity and his brother put in a good bonus, '_**You idiot, Naruto...**_'

Kakashi hesitated again, as the wizard observed his movements as those making second thoughts, as if he were debating whether or not he should go on with just expelling these three not-as-clueless-as-before genin students. Now that they had a grasp of how important and serious the shinobi were, then he may as well give them one last chance.

"Alright. Pay attention. I'm going to give you all one last chance... This next test will be far more difficult than our little game with the bells... If you're up to it, you may eat now and build up your strength, but you are forbidden to give Naruto anything to eat. He goes hungry."

Naruto growled and so did his stomach.

"It's punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself. Naruto was tied to the post for attempting to take the lunches."

He tried to explain, "I told you! That was a trick to lure you to me!"

"I will not listen to excuses..." the jounin said, not believing him, "If either of you try to feed him, then you will immediately fail. I make the rules. You follow them... Got it?"

Sasuke and Sakura both nodded their heads as Naruto scowled to himself and his teacher at his decision before he disappeared so quickly that he may as well have teleported away. Once Kakashi was gone, the other two genin grabbed their bento boxes that the teacher had placed in front of them before he disappeared. Naruto tried to channel out the sounds of those lunches being opened and the delectable smells of well-cooked meat, boiled eggs, and cooked rice. The smells made his stomach growl more and more while his teammates went ahead and ate right there in front of him.

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><p>Naruto's stomach let out another mighty growl of hunger and he promptly yelled as he looked down his flat stomach, "Shut up!"<p>

The older wizard took pity on his younger brother while his teammates occasionally looked to him when his stomach sounded once or twice. It wasn't until Sasuke and Sakura were halfway finished with their rice dishes did Harry stand up and decide to do something about Naruto's increasing agony.

'_**That's it! I think I can do something about your hunger problem!**_'

'_What did you have in mind, Harry?_'

'_**Same basic principle when I helped create that old stealth outfit of yours. If I channel extra magic through your digestive system, it'll act as if you've eaten for a while, at least it will be enough so you can get through this next test.**_'

'_Go for it!_'

In the mindscape, the older wizard's hands were starting to glow green when the least expected thing happened. Sasuke offered his lunch to Naruto as his stomach growled one more time for sustenance.

"Screw it! Have some already…" he grunted.

The kunoichi chewed another bite of rice and tried to protest at the same time, "No! Don't do it, Sasuke-kun! Kakashi-sensei told us not to-"

"Kakashi is gone and we need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto goes hungry, he'll be weak and ineffective... You won't be any good to us as a teammate if you pass out from hunger..." he insisted.

Naruto and Harry couldn't believe it. That simple gesture had to be the nicest thing Sasuke had ever done for anyone. For offering his own plate of food at the risk he was taking for the team, could've been counted as a gesture of true comradeship. That he cared about someone other than himself. Sakura looked over at Sasuke and then back over to her own bento box. At taking an example from her idol, she offered her food to her teammate as well. The blonde blushed at her and almost let his eyes cry exaggerated tears as he slowly forgot her earlier betrayal. After a bit of a word struggle, Sakura resentfully agreed to feed Naruto, because his arms and hands were bound against the log.

He took a sweet bite of subtle-salted rice and once he swallowed his small bite, an explosion of dirt, dust, and grass went off right in front of them. The wind stormed against them like a hurricane and the clouds gathered and darkened until the clouds seemed to turn black. Kakashi then erupted from the cloud of dirt and roared at the top of his lungs as if he were a god.

"_YOU!_"

Naruto screamed like a girl, Sakura shrieked like a banshee, and Sasuke flinched when their sensei never looked so utterly terrifying. He scared them more than swimming with sharks in the middle of the ocean. The one eye that was visible on Kakashi's masked face looked cold and filled to the brim with an untold wrath. To the blonde shinobi tied to the wooden post, it felt like he was looking into the face of Death from the tale in Beedle the Bard with a ferocious storm blasting right behind him. The blonde preteen kept on waving his head back and forth, thinking that Kakashi was the image of his black-cloaked villain he had read about when he was a child.

"I'll take the cloak! I'll take the cloak! Keep the wand! Keep the stone! I don't care! I just want the cloak!"

Kakashi thundered with the voice of a furious divine being while he looked down at the children that had defied him.

"_You have broken the only rule I've set for you! I hope you're ready for the punishment!_"

The vicious jounin flipped through several handsigns and to Naruto's terror, the storm clouds behind him began to gather and darken the skies until it was as black as night. Thunder boomed and lightning came shooting out of nowhere as Kakashi's anger grew. Sakura dropped to the ground as she placed her hands over her head, believing this to be the end. Sasuke trembled beneath his teacher's wrath, not having been this shaken up since the night terrors he experienced after the massacre. He leaned in towards the log closest to him as he tried his best to brave the storm that raged above them.

Naruto was the only one who did not succumb to the darkness and tried to say something back, "B-but y-you s-said..."

"_What,_"the jounin tilted his head like a curious child in questioning,"_What did you just say?_"

Then the blonde-haired child plucked up his courage and stood up against his teacher with a fearless face, "You said that we are a team now! And that we should start to act like one! I don't know about you, but so long as I've got my comrades to back me up, there's no way I can be afraid of anything!"

"Naruto's right!" the Uchiha said to back him up, "I'm not afraid either! We're a team now! Isn't that right, Sakura?"

The librarian heiress looked in between her fingers and also stood up against the wrathful instructor once Sasuke reached out to her and gave her the courage she needed, "Yeah! We gave our lunch to Naruto because the three of us are one!"

"We're in this together!" the blonde-haired genin yelled as the wind picked up.

Kakashi slowly walked up to them, lowering his hands to his sides and letting the winds calm down a little bit so that he didn't have to shout. He looked down and even leaned in toward them as the genin were now gathered around the middle post where Naruto was tied. The jounin looked at them and noticed that none of them even realized they were backing up behind the orange-clad lad, as if he were their leader. The skies were still darkened and the storm kept brewing and shooting lightning to scare off either Sakura or Sasuke. They had all the time in the world to run away; only they didn't take the chance he gave them.

"_You're in this together, you say?_" he asked in that same thundering voice.

The genin students remained planted to the post, refusing to move. Kakashi leaned in closer towards them and the storm stopped in an instant as it began to turn into dust. It was another illusion created to scare the children. He then unexpectedly gave them another of his soft and even cute eye-smiles and spoke with a voice that was dipped in sugar in combination of a cute wink.

"You pass."

Naruto dropped his jaw so low, that it almost fell right off and onto the ground with the force of a falling anvil. Harry then roared with laughter and almost fell off of the couch he was watching from as he observed the reaction faces of those three kids, especially that of his little brothers. The Haruno kunoichi sat there beside the wooden post and almost peed in her dress while her eyes were comically wide. Sasuke sat there and started to growl at the instructor for having forced him to show off his more human side. Kakashi actually giggled like a little kid as the sun returned and the last of the genjutsu he used disappeared into nothing.

"We-we passed?" Sakura exclaimed.

Kakashi explained, "You're the very first group of students that have ever succeeded in this test... The others just did as I said and let they fell into every trap I set. They never followed what I said a few hours ago to you, Naruto; a shinobi must look through deception... Let me just tell you something; in the world of shinobi, those who break the rules are trash, that's true... But those who abandon their friends are worse than trash..."

Sakura cheered, Sasuke tried to hide it but he smirked in satisfaction, while Naruto blushed and almost cried at the sheer awesomeness of his teacher's words, "He... He is so... he is so cool!"

'_**You are such a tool, it's pathetic...**_'

'_Shut it!_'

The jounin gave his new student's a big thumbs-up and announced, "The exercise is now officially over! Everybody passes! Team 7 will have a photograph taken tomorrow, followed with our first official mission!"

The other two genin stood and picked up their bags while Kakashi grabbed his alarm clock and his own backpack.

"Let's go home," he said in a warm but tired voice.

Harry threw his arms up into the air in sweet relief and then said in a proud voice while he focused the feeling on patting his hand on his little brother's shoulder, '_**Congratulations again, Little one...!**_'

The blonde shinobi smiled and laughed in a victorious moment while he had his eyes closed in happiness, "Yeah! Let's do that! Say, um, can one of you get me down from this thing? My arms are starting to hurt!"

Naruto opened his eyes to see the rest of his team still marching through the gate. The rest of the team had somehow forgotten that he was not with them and was still tied to the wooden post. The team assumed that he must have been too worn out or shaken to talk and that he was walking right behind them. But Naruto was still there in the middle of the training field, alone and bound to the post like he was being suited up for an execution in the American Civil War.

"HEY! YOU IDIOTS FORGOT TO UNTIE ME!"

His voice did not carry out far as the rest of the team disappeared from view, behind the tall metal gate and into the deep forest. The team kept on walking and left Naruto there in the field all alone.

"You know what? I should just die right here! That'll teach 'em for leaving me behind to starve! Wankers! Tosspots! CARRY THAT ON YOUR CONSCIENCE, YOU THICK GITS!"

'_**Anymore choice-phrases you want to say in front of your older brother, Little one?**_'

'_I can't believe they forgotten me..._ _They just left me here!_'

'_**So? Just untie yourself with the Rope Escape Jutsu. You know how to use it.**_'

Naruto sighed again as the ropes fell to the ground after he put his hands together with some difficulty. He started to walk home once he collected his beaded bag and he himself locked up the training ground and signed Kakashi and the others out, since they forgot that as well. Harry could sense his little brother's sadness as he walked passed the gate and looked down at his feet, occasionally kicked a pile of dirt. Harry tried to think of a way to cheer him up and celebrate this good news. And then he thought of something Naruto would definitely want to do.

'_**How about you go and see Iruka? Let him know that you passed the test!**_'

The boy beamed as he bolted his head up and ran towards the city in pursuit of his favorite teacher. Iruka would be so proud to hear that he had passed. The tan-skinned chunin told him before that if he ever wanted to talk to anyone, he was always happy to listen. Naruto jumped on the first tram out of the area and to downtown where Ichiraku's was located.

* * *

><p>Back at the Hokage's office, Iruka slumped in his seat after he returned the book to the old man. He had read enough and heard enough stories to get him upset and worried over Naruto's jeopardized future. He looked down at his emptied glass of tea and couldn't help but think so negatively towards himself when he thought that his favorite blonde student might not ever become a shinobi with Kakashi administering his test.<p>

He despaired inside, '_It's my fault... If I had been a better teacher and helped him when he needed me the most, he wouldn't be in this mess!_'

The young man stood up abruptly and bowed to the Hokage once he had made up his mind.

"I'm leaving now, sir..."

The Hokage stopped him before he made his exit, "Iruka... Whatever happens, please don't blame anyone... Not Kakashi, nor yourself if Naruto is expelled..."

"Now how did you know that?" he questioned as if Sarutobi had just read his thoughts.

He smiled, "It's not that hard to read a person's face once you've got the years of practice behind you... But do relax... I have a feeling that maybe, just maybe, Kakashi can see the potential this group has... and he might just pass them..."

"Do you really think so, sir?" he asked hopefully.

The Hokage sighed and then shrugged, "We'll just have to wait and see..."

"Right..." the chunin bowed again slightly and made his leave while the Hokage continued to look at his swishing tea as if he could control the liquid using only his eye movements.

"I have a feeling... that things might turn out alright in the end..."

* * *

><p>{{<em>A New Beginning by Alexandre Desplat<em>}}

Iruka made his way out of the Administration Building's courtyard and walked his way back home as his thoughts were swirled about Naruto and how the test turned out for him. He couldn't stop worrying about him. He wished that he could do something to ensure his success at the test, even though he knew it would be wrong to intervene. Naruto would just hate him for that, as he wouldn't be fighting his own battle. But still, he wanted the child to become a shinobi and grant his wish to become Hokage.

He sighed and made his way back home, since it was now the beginning of summer and he had so much more time to himself, not that he had anyone to spend it with… until now.

"Iruka-sensei!"

The tan-skinned chunin heard a soft and exhilarated voice call out to him. He perked up and looked around to see a familiar blonde lad wearing an orange and blue tracksuit made his way towards him. Naruto had appeared from nowhere and ran towards his favorite teacher as fast as he could, still tired from having not eaten all day. Iruka looked and saw the child still had his headband on as he sped towards him. The chunin realized with the look on the boy's face, smiling up at him and laughing all the way, that he had done it and passed the official genin exam.

"Naruto!" he called back and waved.

The blonde wizard jumped up into his sensei's open arms where he whirled him around and gave Naruto the temporary sensation of flight before the two embraced again and celebrated his official entrance into the rank of the shinobi. They laughed and talked all the way over to Ichiraku Ramen, where Naruto ate more bowls of ramen than he had eaten before in his life, since he had to compensate for the loss of breakfast, lunch, and at this point, supper. Iruka groaned at the amount of ramen eaten, but he shook it off after Naruto explained to him what Kakashi made them do for the test and starved them.

That day in Ichiraku Ramen, there was life and light as the first day of the rest of Naruto's life as a genin started with tomorrow.

* * *

><p>To Be Continued...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AZ44: (Smiles) Hey guys!<strong>

**Kvsyaoran: Wait a minute... You're normal again?**

**AZ44: Yeah, ever since my body randomly blew up that one time when Naruto activated the Spontaneous Combustion Taboo, I really wanted to go back to the typical opening and closing theatrics...**

**Kvsyaoran: Oh... But I just started getting these new powers and everything...**

**AZ44: Tell you what, how about we start fresh with the next book coming up, Book Two, and if the time calls for it, we may have an epic battle with your new powers...**

**Naruto: That sounds reasonable. I'm up for it!**

**Kvsyaoran: Yeah, this was a pretty fun run, though we were all pretty immature and stupid this time around...**

**AZ44: That be the truth...**

**Kvsyaoran: Okay, but I better make preparations for the next epic battle if my powers don't develop powerfully enough.**

**AZ44: Preparations?**

**Kvsyaoran: (clicks button and giant blue robot with a hot-rod car for a head) Chicks dig giant robots, right...?**

**AZ44: I think this a pretty good place to stop...**

**Naruto: Wait a minute... Did Kabuto regenerate and get away again?**

**Kvsyaoran & AZ44: ... CRAP!**

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><p>Please Review if you liked this chapter!<strong> :) <strong>Oh! And I did do that backflip, it was risky, but worth it!


	13. Family

"Blah": Talking

'**Blah**': Demon speaking/ Inner Sakura

'_Blah_': Naruto's Thoughts/other people's thoughts

'_**Blah**_': Harry talking to Naruto

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><p><strong>Here we go! The end of the first book! I hope you guys will keep an eye out for the next book in line, the Assassin of the Mist! :D WHOO-HOO!<strong>

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcome and wanted!<strong>

**Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto**

**Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros**

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><p>Chapter 13: Family<p>

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><p>After the first few weeks of Naruto's career as a shinobi of Konoha, he expected them to be a lot more epic and exciting. He always imagined being a ninja would be a lot like more fun and thrilling versions of the stories Harry had told him growing up as he was hunting down Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes on the run. He thought that by this time, he would have gone on at least one mission that involved actually leaving the village or fighting in epic battles. But he had no idea that certain missions were only given to certain shinobi based on their experience and shinobi rank. Naruto and the rest of his team were given missions of the lowest rank, D-Rank missions. These usually involved, no, they were comprised entirely of community service that normal civilians were more than qualified to accomplish; such as watching over pets and weeding out gardens. One of the first missions they did was actually babysitting.<p>

This was far from all the adventures and danger Naruto expected to be facing. He longed for adventure into deep jungles or forbidden deserts. The closest thing he had gotten to an adventure would be when the daimyo's wife, Madam Shijimi visited the village for a routine inspection and lost her pet cat, named Tora. Iruka once told Naruto over a bowl of ramen that that particular mission was assigned often due to Shijimi being a smothering pet owner. Team 7 had actually completed this mission three times now, while Iruka told him that he himself completed that mission twenty-seven times. Kakashi had once said he had done it over fifty-two times, with different cats given the same name over the years, of course.

* * *

><p>As another couple of weeks flew by like passing bird's overhead, Naruto resorted to going to bookstores and purchasing more comic books and graphic novels about dragons and mystic adventures to feed his hunger for a real mission. Escaping to his fantasies and having Harry create simulations based off of his readings helped to satisfy him for the time being. In the real world, Naruto wanted to start experimenting on whether or not it was possible to create potions out in the real world. Harry expressed that it was possible, though it would be very difficult if he were unable to find magical ingredients.<p>

Still, that didn't stop Naruto from trying and searching for substitutes for those magical ingredients.

On the third week of being on Team 7, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were each given the task of going around the village and putting up posters around town for a couple of up-coming events. They had split up into different sections of the city to cover more ground. Naruto jumped from rooftop to rooftop and plunged down into the streets as he smacked every poster given to him on the windows of supermarkets and lined up stores. Naruto got the job done well and ran out of posters more quickly than the rest of his team.

He was about to turn and head for the Mission Assignment Desk with the rest of his team, when found an irregular shop that stood out to him.

It was a tiny, dusty-looking shop that no one on the crowded street seemed to notice was there. Naruto walked up to it and read the sign that read;

_The Jungle Brought to You_

He looked inside and saw that it was an apothecary run by a foreign family. Naruto walked into the shop and had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The store was lined with similar items and ingredients that he saw in simulated-Diagon Alley lining the rows and shelves of the store. With all of the money he had earned from his D-Ranked missions he could afford to burn a few credits and start stocking up on supplies for his potion experiment. While he was there, he purchased the extracted eyes of foreign insects and rare plants and fungi imported directly from the land surrounding Kusagakure no Sato. Naruto even purchased a rare mushroom that had the exact same properties of a Horklump.

Naruto stocked up on supplies, which made the family that run the place extremely happy, as their business was not particularly successful. They informed their customer that they used to supply the local hospital with ingredients that were rumored to amplify the effects of healing serums, philters, and poisons until their services were no longer required, via order from the council.

But all of that changed when this blonde boy decided to walk in.

* * *

><p>Nearing the end of his first month as a genin, Naruto purchased a new item for his home that he had to secretly hull into his apartment. He limped his way into his apartment with his beaded backpack looking round and overstuffed. Once he locked the door behind him and got into his kitchen he threw it on top of his eating table and removed the item he purchased. Once he had it removed and his bag thrown to the side, he revealed a reasonably sized pewter cauldron, though it was cracked and worn out in numerous places.<p>

"I can't believe that the Apothecary was going to throw this out!" he exclaimed.

'_**Incredible, eh? Once you fix this thing up, maybe throw on a little protection charm or two on it.**_'

'_This cauldron will be in great condition then! I think I might actually start to be able to make potions out here in the real world! So long as I can find substitute ingredients for magical ingredients. The most I can make in this world would probably be Wiggenweld Potion... so long as I can find a substitute for unicorn horn and stewed Mandrake juice... I don't think I can find a Mandragora anywhere here in the Land of Fire..._'

Harry giggled and patted his shoulder, '_**Listen to you go on, you ambitious little potioneer!**_'

Naruto hulled his cauldron to the stove and placed it on top of one of the burners. He then inspected it further and fixed up all of the cracks with a few simple spells and strengthened its qualities while Harry instructed him. Once he was finished, he inspected his cauldron and smiled once he saw it was perfect to start using. Naruto got down on his knees and inspected the cabinet for storage below and measured how much he could fit inside of it, including his cauldron and potion ingredients. Once done, he moved over to his grocery bags he had stored in another cabinet and started storing its contents into the cabinet space under his sink, near his stove.

'_I should start checking around the woods and swamp again for more ingredients..._'

'_**Don't you think you have enough? You've already bought a handful of eyes, powders, and assorted animals parts. If this doesn't work, you would have wasted money...**_'

'_Good point... Maybe I should stop frivolously spending my money on the Apothecary..._'

'_**Thank goodness those people don't ask questions, or else you would be screwed.**_'

'_I'm not that surprised. I seem to be their only customer; my guess is that they don't want to lose my loyalty by asking questions. So ultimately, they keep their mouths shut to keep me coming back..._'

'_**Lucky for us.**_'

'_Anyway, I better get going to the woods before the ANBU start to make their rounds._'

'_**I'll keep a look-out for you.**_'

'_Thanks._'

* * *

><p>The following morning, Naruto was forced to wake up early and meet with the rest of his team for another mission. Each morning on the weekdays, the three genin students would met at this special bridge over by the village water reservoir and wait for hours for their sensei to arrive. One thing that they hated was the fact that Kakashi never once made on-time appearances. He was always late and made up some unbelievable story as to why he couldn't show up on time. This morning, Naruto waited alongside his teammates until Kakashi made a new record and was now three late.<p>

"Good morning, you guys! What great weather we're having!" he announced from up above.

The genin all looked behind them and looked up to see their unusual teacher squatting lazily atop of one of the tall red-painted archways of the bridge. He waved down to them and smiled as his students scowled at his tardiness. Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes while Sakura screamed that Kakashi was late very loudly, causing Naruto to cringe slightly and his spirit companion to cover his hands over his ears and grit his teeth.

'_**Do**_ _**I really have to put up with this banshee from now on? She sets my teeth on edge!**_'

Naruto shook off his older brother's comment and smiled up at his sensei as he had already gotten used to Kakashi's tardiness. His teacher jumped down from over fifty feet and landed swiftly on his feet, he couldn't help but smile a little more as he made up another ridiculous excuse for being over three hours late.

"Sorry I'm late, but I got lost on the road of life..." he said.

Naruto couldn't help but giggle a bit as Sakura went on to rant about how a shinobi should keep their word and show up on time as expected. Unlike his companions, he couldn't help but look up to Kakashi from time to time and really started to like him and trust him. The silver-haired man was very fair with his students if they had an argument and usually kept the peace between them. He also watched over each of his students and made sure they were taken care of and trained. One time, Kakashi stopped by Naruto's home, crouching out of his open window and offered him a whole basket full of vegetables when he saw him eating nothing but red bean soup and barbecue-pork ramen for lunch.

To which Naruto replied with; _Green is about my least favorite food-color_.

The adorable nerd kept thinking of Kakashi as this insanely cool and watchful guardian that almost acted and looked like a superhero. Naruto laughed when he thought of his sensei as a Konoha version of Bruce Wayne, because he liked comic books that much.

But while he was very nice and friendly, Kakashi wasn't exactly an Iruka-sensei. He was still pretty distant and mysterious when it came to his personal life. Naruto still knew little about him and his past, and the question as to why he wore a mask and the reason he kept most of his face hidden from view kept bubbling in his mind. The one thing he knew about him under the surface was that he had close friends who had died in battle, and that was pretty much it.

"Well anyway, let's head out to the old mission desk..." he said finally, "Let's go! Time for us to walk the dogs!"

* * *

><p>Naruto ran down the street as fast as he could, his stomach beckoning for food while his brain and taste buds demanded for barbecue-pork ramen. He was going to meet up with Iruka again which he decided to do more often. Naruto made his way to the street his old teacher said he would be on after his own mission and there he was, walking down the street and looking around for his old student. Naruto waved to him and clumsily stormed through the crowds of people in his way to get to him.<p>

"Iruka-sensei!" he called from afar.

The young chunin smiled and they started walking at a much slower pace than sloppily running around people on the street. Iruka listened as Naruto went on about his week, specifically around the details of his last mission. It quickly became apparent to Iruka that his younger companion did not enjoy D-Rank missions, because it felt like doing chores. Iruka told him he felt the same way when he started out, but eventually he was given more difficult tasks as he gained more experience. He ended up telling him that because he had just started as a shinobi, he would be doing those missions for a pretty long time.

As he told him this, Iruka couldn't help but hope that it would stay that way for a while, because he really cared about Naruto, and he didn't want him getting hurt. Within little Naruto, Harry hoped the same thing and could sense the chunin felt as he did. But then he picked up something else in the tan-skinned shinobi he didn't expect to see, but should have. Iruka looked at the younger blonde and sensed something was off or different about him. And it all started on the night after Mizuki was vanquished and the discovered the truth about the Kyuubi was unraveled to the child. This new behavior made him feel worried a little bit. He knew that the demon did not have a hold of him or else the village wouldn't be standing. He tried to throw the thought away, but there was no denying that Naruto was changing.

The oblivious child looked up as his beloved sensei started loosing focus, "Is there something wrong, Iruka-sensei?"

"Eh?" he blinked and shook his head before he smiled down at those adorable blue orbs, "No. It's nothing, Naruto… I was just thinking about something... Let's go for a ramen break! How about it?"

The blonde child was now excited and smiled in pure delight, "Yeah! With extra barbecue-pork?"

"You bet!" laughed Iruka, as he ruffled Naruto's hair.

The blonde genin grinned happily as he half-dragged his superior towards the old ramen stand. As he was being dragged through the bustling crowds of people and shinobi, Iruka began to think that maybe his little Naruto was just starting to grow up.

* * *

><p>Another week had passed since that one day Harry had caught Iruka's odd look and couldn't get it out of his head. Since then, he had been observing his movements and actions whenever he hung out and talked to Naruto. He didn't tell his little brother anything of his suspicions until one morning when the child was eating breakfast before another of his team's missions.<p>

'_**Iruka is suspicious about something...**_' he said as Naruto helped himself to some oatmeal and milk.

The older wizard informed his child of Iruka's actions, looks, and mannerisms. But before he divulged unto him the only conclusion that was made available, the smaller wizard beat him to the punch.

'_You don't think he thinks that... that... I might be influenced by..._ _It…?_' he tailed off; failing to notice that he was still pouring the milk and overflowing his bowl and trailing off and over the table.

'_**It would be the only logical conclusion for him to reach… Watch out where you're pouring the milk, kiddo.**_'

'_NO!_' he slammed the milk down on the table, '_I DON'T WANNA THINK ABOUT THAT! I don't want him to be afraid of me! I don't want him to hate me! Not him!_'

Naruto stopped once he had heard himself yell like he did and saw the mess he made with the milk when he slammed it down on the table and almost crushed it. The boy hung his head in shame as he felt the hands of his companion wrapping around him in a warm hug. Harry gave Naruto a soft pat on the shoulder and even kissed the back of his head.

'_I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…_'

'_**It's okay, Little one… It's going to be okay… We'll think of something eventually… But for now, you better hurry up. You don't want to be late for your mission.**_'

With that said, Naruto cleaned up his mess thoroughly, saving whatever milk he could by pouring it back into the carton.

* * *

><p>"Hey Iruka-sensei!"<p>

Naruto grinned as he saw his one-time teacher from across the street without a care in the world. He relaxed slightly when the chunin's face lit up and he smiled back at him warmly. Naruto tried to remain confident that Harry was simply having delusions about him. He ran up to the man eagerly and stopped himself from crashing into him. His older brother must have been imagining things, surely.

"Hello, Naruto. How was your mission today?" asked Iruka as they started walking together.

The new genin huffed and crossed his arms while he complained, "Another boring D-Rank mission, we had to pick up trash all of the streets."

Iruka laughed kindly and ruffled the child's hair, "You're still a rookie, Naruto. Give it some time."

"I know," he grumbled.

But then his stomach let out a strong growl and he looked up to Iruka and begged silently with a cute gleam in his eyes, "Treat me to ramen, please?"

The chunin sighed and nodded, '_Well… There goes my pay…_'

He willingly led Naruto into the direction of their favorite ramen shop (having plans of going there for dinner tonight anyway) and they continued talking just like they have been for the past month and a half now.

* * *

><p>{{<em>The Resurrection Stone by Alexandre Desplat<em>}}

A few hours later, the two shinobi were seen walking through the village calmly with stomach's pleasantly full. It was getting pretty late but Naruto had the next day off and Iruka didn't have to work until next Monday, so it didn't matter to either shinobi how long they stayed up. And neither one really cared to go home anytime soon. Naruto was just happy to be spending time with the older man and chatting. He smiled up to Iruka as the man looked down at him in slight concern since Naruto had been quiet for the last while now.

"Is something wrong, Naruto?" the chunin asked, genuine concern laced in both his eyes and tone.

The child hesitated, "No, I…"

He was waiting for Harry to tell him something on what to say and how he felt but no matter how long he waited for, Harry remained silent. Letting what he was about to do and say be entirely his choice without input.

"Naruto?"

The older gentleman stopped walking with Naruto and knelt down in front of him, really beginning to worry about his old student.

"I… I love you, Iruka-sensei."

Naruto said that last sentence quietly before he threw his arms around his favorite teacher. Iruka responded by hugging the preteen boy back, hard. Understanding full well what he meant through that last sentence, as he knew Naruto looked up to him as a favored mentor or a parent-figure.

"D-don't abandon me… P-please…" he heard Naruto beg through a whisper, and he tightened the embrace.

Iruka let loose a single tear and reassured to him softly, "I don't ever plan to… I love you too, Naruto-otōto."

The chunin let Naruto stay in his embrace for as long as he wanted, occasionally rubbing and patting him on the back. Not caring about who saw him, even while people even from his workplace saw him and quickly walked away, thinking even less of him as they saw him comforting the village pariah. It wasn't until five minutes later did Naruto finally pulled back from the heart-felt embrace. Iruka looked up and was surprised to see that Naruto's blue eyes and face were covered and wet with rivers of tears.

"Naruto? Are you alright?"

The blonde boy half-sobbed and nodded before he wiped his eyes and face clean with the sleeve of his tracksuit. He then looked up at Iruka and smiled at him. Iruka was very surprised by the smile he received, being drastically different from any other one he had ever seen on his face before. Naruto was genuinely and truthfully smiling with his magnificent eyes opened and his lips turned up perfectly as he didn't stretch his face or bare his teeth, so that it didn't look forced or uncomfortable to hold up for too long.

Iruka found himself smiling just as sweetly back to him and offered his hand to the boy. Naruto took his hand and they continued to walk side by side.

"C'mon… I'll walk you home, okay…?"

When they eventually reached Naruto's rugged apartment building they were shocked and surprised to see Naruto's landlord out on the deck/patio of his section of the building and waiting for Naruto to arrive with a bat in one hand and a bottle of hard liquor in the other.

"UZUMAKI! _It's the effing middle of the night and you're not in bed!_ GET YOUR ASS UP HERE! YOU'RE EFFING DEAD!"

Naruto's eyes shrunk in fear of his alcoholic landlord and he recoiled towards his former teacher. Iruka looked up and was further shocked at seeing that Naruto lived in a place this unpleasant and psychologically damaging. The place where his student lived was a complete wreck, far worse than the place Iruka lived in when he was left alone. This place looked like Hell. Especially with this terrible man being the person that was practically left in charge of Naruto's well-being. The boy tried to hide himself behind Iruka, not wishing to have to sleep through another night with this man trying to break down his door for the rest of the night or until he would pass out or give up out of boredom. But knowing Toshi for as long as he did, Naruto knew that he could actually keep it going until after dawn before he would pass out. For an average villager, he could put up one hell of a fight.

Iruka placed a protective hand over Naruto's shoulder and turned him away from his apartment and led him to the direction of his own home, determined to keep Naruto away from that horrible man. In the mindscape, Harry sighed and thought it best that Naruto should stay with Iruka for the night, if that were a possibility.

Once they could no longer hear Toshi's drunken voice yelling for Naruto's to come back, Iruka reached out to him gently and offered, "Come on. You can spend the night…"

Naruto trusted him and responded with another irresistible and grateful smile and a nod of his head. And then together, they walked away.

* * *

><p>In several minutes, Naruto settled into Iruka's apartment, which was located in a comfortable part of town that wasn't too far from where he lived and not too far away from the Academy. The apartment was much better than the one Naruto lived in. For starters, it was much more spacious and had a better paint-job of white and green. Iruka had a living room with a coffee table with couches surrounding it, which were covered with a smooth silk. There was a collection of foreign weapons and boomerangs on the wall to the left and there were several old photographs on several shelves, which made the apartment feel warm. His kitchen was to the right and was much more than just an oven, stove, and sink all crammed together in one corner; it looked like the ones Naruto saw on cooking television shows that were stocked and cleaned to almost flawless perfection. Iruka had an entire hallway that led to a bathroom, two bedrooms, and even an entire storage closet that held blankets, brooms, and pillows lined next to an assemble of various cleaning products and instruments. Naruto considered this small and subtle home as a palace in comparison of his own so-called home.<p>

This place looked and felt more warm and welcoming than his old apartment ever looked in almost a decade.

Iruka led Naruto to his own bedroom where he pulled out a reclinable spare mattress he had kept in his own closet. Iruka would have been more than glad to let Naruto stay in his spare bedroom, only it was currently being re-painted and he hadn't bought an actual mattress for the bed inside it. Naruto didn't care either way, for if he can sleep soundlessly upon the floor of an uncomfortable apartment, he could handle a foldout mattress, which was unusually comfortable.

Iruka lent Naruto a pair of his old pajamas he once wore as a kid, and wouldn't you know it, they fit Naruto perfectly.

Eventually, the boy grew very drowsy once Iruka had finished setting Naruto's bed up next to his own and placed down the futon, pillow, and spare blankets. As soon as he was finished, Naruto collapsed onto the open bed and instantly fell into a deep sleep, without reawakening within the mindscape for once. Iruka raised his eyebrows at seeing how tired Naruto was and laughed a little before dressing up into his own night clothes, undoing his ponytail, and settled into bed before switching off the lights to go to sleep.

* * *

><p>{{<em>Leaving HogwartsEpilogue by John Williams and Alexandre Desplat_}}

A few hours later, Iruka had woken up out of an old sleeping habit and rubbed his eyes once he sensed an uncommon presence in his room. He was on alert until he remembered who he had allowed to stay the night. He looked over and smiled down at the noiselessly slumbering blonde child next to his bed, resting comfortably on his old futon. Iruka didn't know what it was that had brought on the events from earlier that evening, but he was glad that they happened. It just helped to re-enforce his belief that whatever it was that was going on within Naruto, that it wasn't the Kyuubi. The demon would _never_ have done what Naruto had done and said to him a few hours ago.

Not to mention, he meant what he had said to the boy too.

Iruka loved Naruto like the little brother he never got to have, and that he always wanted from his parents. If it weren't for Naruto showing up in his life, he would have forgotten who he was as a child and where he was going with his life, and would have been lost forever in a pit of adult loneliness. All thanks to this troublesome blonde boy that he now loved so much. Now that Naruto was in his life, Iruka didn't want him to have to vanish from it, and he had no plans on leaving his life as well and leaving him to be alone and at the mercy of those horrible people that had been tormenting him all his life.

But then something hit Iruka like a nail to the head; they were both shinobi of Konoha. He knew that they were both ninja and that either one of them could be killed while on a mission or while training. But Iruka swore to himself that no matter what would happen in the near, distant, or unclear future that he would do whatever it took to remain alive so he could be there for the lonely boy resting right beside him whenever he asked for it.

Iruka slowly reached out and brushed some of his golden-blonde hair out of his eyes. He moved a particular patch of hair hanging over his right eye and spotted the old lightning-bolt scar for the first time on Naruto's forehead and wondered as to how he had gotten it. He quickly assumed that it must have been a remnant of Naruto's miserable past that he had been forced to live up until now. There, Iruka pressed his lips to the top of Naruto's messy-haired head and gave him a quick hug before he finally started to close his eyes and fall asleep.

He whispered softly, "Goodnight, Naruto… I'll always be there for you whenever you need me… I promise…"

* * *

><p><em>Can't close my eyes, if it goes...<br>But deep down inside, it's got a hold of me...  
>Oh, empty my heart,<br>I've got to make room for this feeling... I can't take it in...  
><em>

* * *

><p><span>One Month Later<span>

Naruto woke up to a bright and early Sunday morning. He had the day off from missions with Team 7 and decided to spend the weekend away from his landlord and stayed at Iruka's house again. The two of them had spent the previous night watching old movies, wasting time, and talking like they regularly did for the past two months. Ever since Naruto had graduated from the Academy things were finally starting to get better for him, and he and Iruka really started to get close as if they were both family. The older chunin would usually accompany Naruto whenever he went to the Konoha Cemetery to pay his mother a visit and place flowers and sweets on her grave.

Naruto was just going to the bathroom sometime in between morning and midday. He was now just washing his hands when he stepped on something with a sound of ripping paper. Naruto jumped and looked down at what he stepped on. It was apparently a letter with an official inked seal from the Council of Elders pressed onto the front. At seeing the seal, curiosity bit at Naruto and an uncontrollable urge to find out what Iruka was doing with a letter from the Council caused him to start investigating.

He picked it up, seeing it was already opened and crumbled. He reopened the letter and to his surprise, he saw that the ink was badly smudged in places, making it difficult but not impossible to read;

* * *

><p><em>To Iruka Umino,<em>

_We regret to inform you that your earlier request to adopt the orphan in question (Naruto Uzumaki) has been denied. While your compassion was admirable at best, too many vital errors have come into account with your decision. Those reasons being your age, career, the age of the orphan, and the social status of the orphan._

_One; you are twenty-three years of age, making you exceptionally young to assume the role of a father/parent. You are also inexperienced with childcare, or for that matter, have little to no knowledge or experience on how to maintain stability under your own roof._

_Second reason; your career. You are a shinobi and a teacher at the Ninja Academy. Being a shinobi (you should already know this) you are expected to be called out to fulfill missions when ordered to and [often] leave the village for unknown periods of time. Not having any spouse left at home to care for the child, you are therefore leaving the child in question in danger within the confines of your home without any suitable guardian, putting his safety in considerable risk. Working at the Academy on a weekly basis through most of the year also is very time consuming for you, considering the responsibilities you have to the students you have to teach. This would only further neglect the child you wish to adopt._

_Third reason; being the age of the orphan. Uzumaki is twelve years of age, dangerously approaching his adolescence, making him ideally too old to be adopted. Most orphans are preferably adopted at half that age (don't bother arguing that you don't care, we're sick of hearing it) making the transition from orphanage/foster care to the home of a [small] family much less dramatic and possibly damaging._

_The last and most important reason being the social status of the Uzumaki. At the end of the recent school year, you graduated him and even gave him your own hitai-ate. You gave him the legal badge of adulthood, eliminating/terminating his status as a child, therefore terminating the legality of any attempted adoption transactions. To put it simply; he's an adult and you cannot adopt an adult._

_The issue has been settled. Please stop sending us letters about this._

_Signed,_

_The Konohagakure Council of Elders_

_Homura Mitokado, Koharu Uta-_

* * *

><p>Naruto didn't bother with reading the rest of the letter (which were three inked signatures) and instantly realized why the letter was smudged and blotted (as well as what the smudges were caused by) as Naruto soundlessly began to cry rivers of tears that landed on the letters and smeared the ink even further. Naruto almost dropped the letter down to the floor as he felt as if his spine had slid out from his bottom. When he felt a second letter underneath the first one.<p>

Naruto dropped the letter from the Council and examined the one that was written upon a smaller piece of what appeared to be parchment. Naruto checked the date of the letter and found that it was sent to Iruka about three to four days ago, the same amount of days Naruto had been staying at Iruka's home so far. He examined the handwriting on the message and recognized it as it belonged to his grandfather. He picked it up closer to his face, his vision blurry with tears but he started reading:

* * *

><p><em>Iruka,<em>

_Words cannot describe how proud I am of you and how happy I am at your request in regards to Naruto. But at the same time, I am upset and saddened upon hearing that the Council declined you. Primarily due to the fact that they enjoy to rob Naruto of any happiness and deny him even the tiniest chance of normalcy due to his status as a jinchuuriki. However, given the fact that he is now a shinobi of the village, his fate rests in my hands, not the Council's any longer. So to turn the tables on them, I am allowing you to permit Naruto into your home at anytime you or he desire. In an adverted way to irritate my old colleagues and enemies within the walls of the village, I am unofficially granting you full and total legal custody and guardianship over Naruto Uzumaki (sort of). As of the moment you receive this message, or whenever Naruto is informed of the events I've informed in this letter, you may refer to him as your _otōto.

_With love and reassurance, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage_

_P.S. Take good care of him._

* * *

><p>Naruto held the old piece of paper tightly in his hand and shed a new wave of tears while he smiled warmly and closed his eyes. Naruto let out a small, joyous laugh when he reached up to start wiping the tears from his face and tried his best to calm down.<p>

Suddenly Iruka's voice cried out from the kitchen, "Naruto! Your tea's ready!"

The boy jumped and quickly discarded the letters where he found them and wiped his face clean of tears before he called back, "C-coming, aniki!"

Naruto left the bathroom and closed the door, sealing his bond with Iruka that would last for as long as it would take for hell to freeze over. Naruto Uzumaki feeling for the first time in his entire life, that he belonged somewhere. From that point on, his and Iruka's destinies were intertwined with one another's forever.

* * *

><p><em>Woahhhhhhh<br>It couldn't be anymore beautiful  
>It couldn't be anymore beautiful<br>I can't take it in  
>Woahhhhhhh<br>I can't take it in  
>Woahhhhhhh<br>I can't take it in  
>Woahhhhhhh<br>_

* * *

><p><em>Oh, perilous place<em>  
><em>Walk backwards toward you<em>  
><em>Blink disbelieving eyes chilled to the bone<em>  
><em>Most visibly brave<em>  
><em>No apprehended gloom<em>  
><em>First to take this foot to virgin snow<em>

_I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment_  
><em>I am a wunderkind oh~<em>  
><em>I lift the envelope pushed far enough to believe this<em>  
><em>I am a princess on the way to my throne<em>  
><em>destined to serve<em>  
><em>destined to roam<em>

_Oh, ominous place_  
><em>Spellbound and un-childproofed<em>  
><em>My least favorite chill to bear alone<em>

_Compatriots in place_  
><em>They'd cringe if I told you<em>  
><em>Our best back pocket secret: our bond full blown<em>

_I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment_  
><em>I am a wunderkind oh~<em>  
><em>I am a pioneer naïve enough to believe this<em>  
><em>I am a princess on the way to my throne<em>  
><em>destined to seek<em>~  
><em>destined to know~<em>

_Most beautiful place_  
><em>Reborn and blown off roof<em>  
><em>My view: about face whether, great will be done<em>

_And I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment_  
><em>I am a wunderkind oh~<em>  
><em>I am a ground-breaker naïve enough to believe this<em>  
><em>I am a princess on the way to my throne<em>

_And I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment_  
><em>I am a wunderkind oh~<em>  
><em>I am the Joan of Arc and smart enough to believe this<em>  
><em>I am a princess on the way to my throne<em>

_Destined to reign, destined to roam~ x 4_

* * *

><p>End of Book One<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you very much for those of you that have read up this far. The idea of putting song lyrics at the end of each story was a collaboration by myself and Azeroth44. He suggested the idea that we could treat the end of the fanfic as if it were a film and put in songs that match with the theme of certain characters and relationships and the context of the fic itself.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Songs Used in End:<strong>

I Can't Take It In [Narnia Version] by Imogen Heap (A tribute to Naruto and Iruka's friendship)

Wunderkind by Alanis Morissette (A tribute to Naruto's entry into the magical arts, and Kushina Uzumaki's courage passed down to her son)

* * *

><p><strong>Unused Songs:<strong>

A Thousand Years [Part II Version] by Christina Perri feat. Steve Kaze (A tribute to Naruto when he and Harry first met, the start of his incredible journey, and the devotion and love he feels for those he cares about and loves)

For Always by Lara Fabian (A tribute to Harry and Naruto's brotherhood, and Kushina and Naruto)


End file.
